Death of a soldier has flared Thailand and Cambodia border tensions
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have increased following the death of a Cambodian soldier in May during a gunfire exchange in a disputed border area.
The two Southeast Asian neighbours have contested sovereignty over undemarcated points along their 817km land border for over a century, with the border initially mapped by France in 1907.
Claims over historical sites, particularly the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, have raised nationalist tensions, with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarding the temple to Cambodia in 1962, though Thailand continues to claim the surrounding land.
Nationalist sentiment has risen in Thailand, especially after conservatives questioned the government's plan to jointly explore energy resources with Cambodia and after a group of Cambodians sang their national anthem at the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple.
Despite promises to ease tensions and seek dialogue, both countries' militaries have been mobilising near the border, and Cambodia plans to refer disputes in four border areas to the ICJ, a move Thailand has not recognised.
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