PHNOM PENH (AFP) - A Buddha statue has been built on Thailand's disputed border with Cambodia, Bangkok's army said Saturday, the same site where it knocked down and removed a likeness of a Hindu deity last month.
The Southeast Asian neighbours have traded barbs over the statues placed in the contested area since December when a ceasefire ended three weeks of deadly fighting, the latest eruption in their years-long dispute.
That month, Thai forces destroyed a likeness of the Hindu deity Vishnu in a border region known to Thais as An Ma and to Cambodians as An Ses.
Cambodian officials condemned the move, while Thailand said it was necessary to assert control over the area and was not intended to disrespect religious beliefs.
On Wednesday, Phnom Penh said Thai armed forces had installed a Buddha statue at the site, adding that the act was "inconsistent with de-escalation measures" in the ceasefire.
The Thai army on Saturday accused Cambodia of "distortions".
The Buddha statue "was not intended to insult or undermine the beliefs of any party", it said in a statement.
"This was carried out within the framework of religious freedom and belief, as well as to boost morale among Thai citizens in the area."
Both Cambodia and Thailand are Buddhist-majority countries.
Their long-standing conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border.
Fighting last month killed dozens of people on both sides.
Since the truce, Cambodia has said Thailand has seized several areas in border provinces, and has demanded the withdrawal of Thai troops from the territories that both sides claim. - AFP
