B ANGKOK - A UN official and his woman companion, both from Belgium, are

missing on the Thai-Cambodian border and might have been seized by Khmer Rouge

guerrillas, a Thai army officer said on May 25.

Michel Baran of Brussels

and his friend Nathalie Roobaert went missing on May 23 near Preah Vihear

temple, ancient ruins on the Cambodian side of the border, the officer said. He

said they might have accidentally crossed the border.

The Thai military

unit responsible for the area had initially identified Baran as

German.

Preah Vihear temple, located on a escarpment, has been hotly

contested by Cambodian troops and the Khmer Rouge, who currently control the

ruins.

 

- Reuters