PM blames protesters for Cambodia border tension

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej blames three Thai protesters who illegally crossed a Cambodian borderpoint for a military standoff between the two countries.

"They are crazy three people who crossed the border sparked the border problem. They nearly achieved their aim by causing the military on each side to face one another," Samak told reporters on Thursday.

Hundreds of Thai troops and Cambodian soldiers are locked in a stand-off on the disputed border by the ruins of an ancient temple after the three crossed the closed checkpoint on Tuesday.

The three -- a man, a woman and a Buddhist monk -- climbed over the border fence to an overlapping areas near the Preah Vihear Temple. Cambodia said the areas were on its territory.