Nationalism behind Thai-Cambodian rift: experts

BANGKOK: Nationalist fervour and political grandstanding are stoking a deadly border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia but both sides will be keen to avoid major hostilities, experts say.

Although the exact trigger for a series of armed clashes in recent days is unclear, tensions have grown since seven Thais including one lawmaker were arrested by Cambodia in December near the frontier for illegal entry.

Two of them were sentenced to lengthy jail terms for spying, outraging nationalist Thais, who have held protests in Bangkok calling on their Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign.

Observers say the recent cross-border fighting, focused on the area surrounding an ancient Khmer temple, is being used in both countries to stir patriotic sentiment with elections on the horizon.

Yet while Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen has unleashed a torrent of fiery rhetoric, accusing Thailand of being an invading aggressor and calling for UN intervention, for Abhisit the standoff is seen as another unwanted headache.

"Hun Sen is deliberately playing this to vitalise nationalist sentiment and reinvigorate support for himself," said Professor William Case, director of the Southeast Asia Research Centre at the City University of Hong Kong.

In-spite of tough talk and casualties on both sides, observers believe that risk of a full-blown conflict remains slim.

"It will be a matter of bilateral negotiations with the possibility of further skirmishes," said Professor Mark Turner at the University of Canberra in Australia. "It's difficult to envisage any widening of the armed conflict."