Cambodia has rejected Thailand accusation that Cambodian troops used the Preah Vihear temple as a military base against the neighbouring nation’s soldiers.

In its statement released on Feb. 8, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said there has never been and there will never be Cambodian soldiers at the temple of Preah Vihear .

"This has always been a place for worship and tourism," it affirmed, adding that “at all time there are only a small number of policemen with only light weapons to provide safety at the temple site.”

The statement came after Thai Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnered, spokesman of the Thai army was quoted by the Bangkok Post on the same day as saying that "Cambodian soldiers used the Preah Vihear temple as a heavy arms base to fire at Thai soldiers stationed in areas in Thai territory that were at lower elevation."

Situation along the border line between Cambodia and Thailand has tensioned after the two countries’ soldiers exchanged fires for several times from Feb. 4-7.

Fire exchanges forced about 10,000 surrounding villagers of both countries to evacuate and damaged the temple of Preah Vihear , a World Heritage site.

In the same vein, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa of Indonesia, that holds the Chair of ASEAN 2011, said after a meeting with his Thai counterpart on Feb. 8 that the two countries should resolve the border conflict through bilateral negotiations.

He said he got clear messages from Phnom Penh and Bangkok that they committed to resolving the conflict via peaceful measures and dialogues.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and member countries supported the efforts and bilateral approach, he added./.