Tensions on Thai-Cambodia border

PHNOM PENH: Thai and Cambodian forces have engaged in a second day of clashes near an ancient temple on their disputed border, leaving five people dead in the heaviest fighting in almost two years.

Following is a timeline of tensions on the frontier since July 2008:

July 8, 2008

The 11th-century Preah Vihear temple is awarded World Heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering Thai nationalists who still claim ownership of the site. The temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962

July 15, 2008

Three Thai protesters are arrested for jumping a barbed-wire fence to reach the temple, prompting a military build-up of hundreds of troops from both sides. A Thai army ranger loses his leg after stepping on a landmine nearby

August 3, 2008

Cambodian and Thai soldiers exchange fire for ten minutes, injuring one Cambodian

August 16, 2008

Cambodia and Thailand draw down troops on the border, leaving about 40 soldiers stationed from each side

October 3, 2008

Cambodian and Thai soldiers exchange gunfire on the border

October 6, 2008

Two Thai soldiers are injured in a landmine blast at the border, prompting Thailand to accuse Cambodia of recently planting the device

October 15, 2008

Troops again exchange gunfire, leaving three Cambodians and one Thai soldier dead

October 16, 2008

Thailand and Cambodia agree to introduce joint patrols in disputed areas following the deadly clashes

October 24, 2008

Thai and Cambodian prime ministers meet in Beijing and agree to prevent any more armed clashes

April 3, 2009

Officials say two Cambodian soldiers and one Thai trooper killed in heavy gunbattle on the border. A clash earlier in the day causes no casualties

July 7, 2009

Cambodians celebrate the first anniversary of the UN's world heritage listing of the temple

August 30, 2009

Cambodia says it has halved the number of troops around the ancient border temple

September 19, 2009

Dozens of people are wounded as Thai "Yellow Shirt" protesters clash with local police and villagers near the temple, demanding that the Thai government push Cambodian forces out of the disputed area

September 28, 2009

Cambodian premier Hun Sen says he has ordered his troops to shoot anyone from neighbouring Thailand who crossed onto land around the temple

September 29, 2009

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva insists that Thailand still wants to find a "peaceful" solution to the dispute over the temple through a joint border commission set up by the two countries

December 21, 2009

A Cambodian soldier dies after stepping on an old landmine near the temple

January 24, 2010

Cambodian and Thai troops exchange fire some 15 kilometres southeast of the temple during a speech there by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, in which he urged troops to be brave defending their territory

January 29, 2010

Cambodian and Thai troops engage in a brief shootout on their disputed border, according to a Cambodian defence ministry spokesman

February 6, 2010

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife visit the temple, attracting some 100 protesters on the Thai side

February 9, 2010

Internet giant Google promises Cambodia in a letter that it will review a map of the temple after Cambodian authorities said Google Earth depicts nearly half of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple as being in Thailand

June 8, 2010

Cambodian and Thai troops briefly exchange fire on their border, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) away from Preah Vihear temple, no casualties reported

August 8, 2010

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen writes to the United Nations accusing Thailand of violating UN rules by threatening to use military force against Cambodia

August 9, 2010

In reaction to the letter, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says: "Cambodia wants to give an image of Thailand as an intruder or using force, which is not true"

August 14, 2010

Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong appeals to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for help in resolving the dispute, "in order to avoid any large scale armed conflict"

September 24, 2010

Hun Sen meets with Abhisit on the slidelines of an ASEAN-US meeting in New York and says they both agree to avoid further border clashes

January 31, 2011

Thailand demands that Cambodia remove its flag from Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda, which is built in the disputed border area. Cambodia refuses

February 1, 2011

A Cambodian court hands two Thais, including a high-profile nationalist activist, a lengthy jail sentence for spying and illegally entering Cambodia. The pair were inspecting disputed border territory when they were arrested

February 4, 2011

Thai and Cambodian troops exchange heavy fire on the border, leaving two Cambodian soldiers, one Cambodian civilian and one Thai civilian dead and several soldiers injured on both sides

February 5, 2011

Troops on both sides briefly exchange fire near the disputed temple, killing one Thai soldier