Preah Vihear

Thai soldier  injured on border dies

A Thai soldier who sustained shrapnel wounds to the head during a firefight with Cambodian troops along their disputed border died Tuesday morning, the doctor treating him said. Boonyarit Khanti, 40, had been in a coma since October 15, when gunfire erupted on patches of disputed land near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple, the UN World Heritage site at the centre of long-standing tensions. The soldier died from sudden kidney failure, which was one of the complications of the injury, said Monchai Wiwatanasithipong, a doctor at Suppasithiprasong Hospital in northeast Ubon Ratchathani province. Two Cambodian soldiers died during the shoot-out, while a third died a day later of smoke inhalation and illness that authorities said was linked to the clashes. Six Thai soldiers were also wounded.