BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday demanded Cambodian citizens leave a disputed border area that has been the focus of deadly clashes in recent years.

The two countries have stepped up a war of words over the spat, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warning it could lead to fresh bloodshed.

"We have to tell them (Cambodians) to leave," Abhisit told reporters. "They have trespassed so we are trying to evict them.

"The problem happened because Cambodia intruded into Thai territory so we have the right to protect our sovereignty and we will do everything possible through peaceful means."

Hun Sen warned Monday that the border dispute with Thailand was "very hot" and could result in violence.

Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in a troop standoff at their disputed border since July 2008, when the ancient Preah Vihear temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, although its main entrance lies in Thailand. The exact boundary through the surrounding grounds remains in dispute, with occasional gunfights claiming several lives.

Before the most recent deadly clash, in April 2009, more than 300 Cambodians were living in a village near Preah Vihear, but they had since moved to a location further away from the temple, according to a Cambodian official.

The Thai-Cambodia border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

BDST:1707 HRS, August 10, 2010