Unmanned drone explodes in sky over Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple area

[geovalin]

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) exploded in the sky over Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple, a world heritage site, on Sunday, causing panic among troops stationed along the Cambodian-Thai border, a Cambodian spokesman said.

The small drone exploded at around 10:40 a.m. (local time), leaving debris scattered in different places in the border area near the temple, Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, wrote on his Facebook Page.

"Debris from the mysterious drone has been found in five places near the Temple of Preah Vihear by local authorities," he said, adding that the origin of the drone remains unknown as an investigation is underway.

He said there was no report of casualties from the incident.

According to the official, the incident was the fifth time a drone had exploded in the area in recent years.

Preah Vihear, a Hindu temple, is situated on the top of a 525- meter cliff in the Dangrek Mountains, bordering Thailand. It was inscribed on the UNESCO's prestigious World Heritage List in July 2008. The temple had been a flashpoint of armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops in 2008-2011 period. The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled last November that Cambodia had sovereignty over the whole territory of the promontory of Preah Vihear temple.

To date, the two countries have not started talks over the implementation of the ICJ's ruling.

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