By Wassana Nanuam and Anucha Charoenpo
Bangkok Post
Cambodian troops have removed a stone tablet placed near the Preah Vihear temple carrying a message accusing Thailand of invading the country.
But the tablet has been replaced with another that could ratchet up the tension even further between the two countries. It simply states the area is part of Cambodia.
The first tablet put in place last month at Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara, next to the Preah Vihear temple, read, according to the Phnom Penh Post: "Here! is the place where Thai troops invaded Cambodian territory on July 15, 2008."
This angered Thai troops, their commanders and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who claim the temple is located in a disputed area open to Thai troops.
A Cambodian armed forces officer who asked not to be named said the offending sign had been replaced, Phnom Penh Post reported.
Whether the new sign will be received any more favourably remains to be seen.
"Here! is Cambodia," reads the sign erected yesterday.
"I heard [the placement of the sign] was ordered by Prime Minister Hun Sen," the officer said.
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