Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw troops from around disputed temple

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to withdraw their troops from the area surrounding a disputed border temple, the official Thai news agency MCOT reported.

The two countries reached a deal to implement an order by the International Court of Justice to put in place a "provisional demilitarized zone" around the Preah Vihear temple, MCOT cited Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh as saying at a news conference on Wednesday.

Thai and Cambodian troops had clashed in the area around the temple earlier this year, displacing thousands of people on both sides and causing at least 20 deaths.

A joint working group will be set up to discuss the rules governing the demilitarized zone, Banh said after meeting with the Thai defense minister, General Yutthasak Sasiprapa, in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

The troop withdrawals, to be carried out as soon as possible, will be supervised by observers from Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Banh said. Read More