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Thai Ambassador, Staff Escape from Beseiged Embassy in Cambodia
VOA News
29 Jan 2003, 16:38 UTC
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Thailand's ambassador to Cambodia and nine staff members have escaped unharmed after an angry mob ransacked and burned their embassy in Phnom Penh.

The embassy staff took refuge in the nearby Japanese compound when 50-100 Cambodians broke in during a violent protest that spread to other Thai-owned establishments in the capital at nightfall.

This violence began when several hundred people gathered outside the Thai embassy to protest controversial remarks attributed to a Thai actress. The demonstration spilled inside when Cambodian police, who were vastly outnumbered, fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd.

Police later opened fire at the protesters, injuring at least two people. No fatalities were reported, but witnesses said that several police officers were hurt. The extent of damage to the embassy is not known, but witnesses said it had been engulfed in flames.

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra condemned the violence as barbaric, but he backed off an earlier threat to send in a commando unit to rescue Thai nationals.

The riot was sparked by controversy over Cambodian media reports last week that quoted actress Suwanan Kongying as saying the historic Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia should be returned to Thailand. Ms. Suwanan says the words came from a line spoken by one of her characters in a television drama two years ago.

The soap opera star is said to have been planning a visit to Cambodia in February. After the Cambodian media published her alleged remarks, Prime Minister Hun Sen called on Cambodian television stations to stop airing Thai programs. Protesters have called on the Thai actress to make a public apology in Cambodia.

Angkor Wat, the sprawling temple in northern Cambodia, is considered a national symbol. It was the capital of the Khmer empire, which ruled parts of Southeast Asia for about 600 years from the ninth century.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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