Sawt Falasteen - Cambodian PM's wife attends funerals of soldiers killed in Thai border clashes

The Southeast Asian nations' longstanding border conflict reignited this month, killing 23 people in Thailand -- almost all soldiers -- and 21 civilians in Cambodia, according to official counts.

Cambodia has not officially announced that any of its troops have been killed since the fighting broke out on December 7.

But a post on Prime Minister Hun Manet's Facebook page late Wednesday said first lady Pich Chanmony had paid "tribute to the soldiers who died in the battle to defend the territory from the invading Thai enemy".

Photos showed her praying while holding incense sticks and comforting bereaved people near displayed names and portraits of at least two soldiers.

"This is a great sorrow for the nation and the families," the post said, adding that Pich Chanmony attended funeral services in Takeo province on Wednesday.

Cambodia's defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata on Thursday declined to comment on the post, referring AFP to the ministry's official page.

The ministry said in a statement that fighting continued on Thursday morning with the Thai military shelling parts of the border province of Banteay Meanchey.

The two countries have blamed each other for instigating the fresh fighting, which has spread to nearly every province along their border.

Each nation has also claimed to have acted in self-defence, and has accused the other of attacking civilians.

Cambodian and Thai officials began four days of talks at a border checkpoint on Wednesday aimed at negotiating an end to the clashes.

The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border and a smattering of ancient temple ruins situated on the frontier.

X.Habash--SF-PST