Cambodia deploys riot police to guard Thai embassy

Updated July 3, 2008 19:05:17

The Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border was given to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice. [Reuters]

Cambodia has deployed riot police to protect the Thai embassy for fear that a border dispute over an ancient Hindu temple could spark violent protests.

Officials say the move comes after Thailand suspended its endorsement of Cambodia's bid for the UN cultural agency UNESCO to grant the long-disputed Preah Vihear temple World Heritage status.

The forces will remain at the embassy for 24 hours to protect what the general calls the "the mutual interests" of both countries.

A spat in 2003 over Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple - the most significant symbol of the country's ancient Khmer empire - sparked a night of riots, in which Thailand's embassy and several Thai-owned businesses were burned and looted.

In 1962, the dispute over the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple went before the World Court, which ruled that the temple belongs to Cambodia, although the main entrance lies at the foot of a mountain in Thailand.

The long-standing row appeared resolved last month, after Thailand endorsed Cambodia's plan to seek World Heritage status at a UNESCO meeting in Canada this week.

But the deal sparked a political controversy in Thailand, and last week Cambodia closed the mountaintop temple after more than 100 Thais marched to the compound to protest against the deal.

A Thai court then forced the government to suspend its endorsement of the plan.