Thai PM, Cambodian ex-PM visit different parts of disputed border amid tensions

Thailand's Prime Minister and Cambodia's influential former premier were visiting different parts of their disputed border on June 26 as tensions simmered over a territorial row and the Thai government teetered on the brink of collapse.

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ARANYAPRATHET, Thailand -

The deterioration of relations was sparked by brief armed clashes in a border area late in May that left one Cambodian soldier dead.

What followed were a series of tit-for-tat measures by both countries, including troop mobilizations, Cambodia's suspension of all fuel and gas imports from its neighbor, and the partial closure of checkpoints by Thailand along the 817km land border.

The conflict has added fuel to a crisis facing Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is battling to revive a faltering economy and scrambling to keep a fragile coalition together in the face of protests as well as a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

As she arrived on the morning of June 26 at the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo province, opposite Cambodia's Poipet, she was greeted by a crowd of supporters, with several of them holding a large sign saying "Love You Prime Minister Paetongtarn".