Phnom Penh - Cambodia has appointed former soldier turned journalist Mem Sam An as its first female deputy prime minister, the politician confirmed Thursday.

The 55-year-old, who represents the south-western province of Svay Rieng, was a senior minister in the previous cabinet and said she is honoured by the promotion.

Mem Sam An became part of Cambodian folklore in the 1970s, marshalling troops on the Vietnam border against the Khmer Rouge with what her comrades describe as extraordinary bravery.

Bangkok - The Thai government Thursday rebuffed a Cambodian claim that it was an unreliable and biased chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as the two sides are locked in a bitter border dispute.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said other members of the 10-country body would understand Thailand's restraint and probity on the issue.

Two Cambodian soldiers were reportedly killed in an exchange of gunfire and 10 Thai soldiers allegedly captured Wednesday afternoon after the two countries accused each other of stepping over previously agreed lines around a 900-year-old Hindu temple, ownership of which has been disputed for decades.

New York - UN Sec

Bangkok  - Cambodian soldiers fired on Thai soldiers, wounding two, Wednesday afternoon along the disputed border, according to Thai TV reports from the area.

The Cambodian side opened fire at 2:25 pm and allegedly injured two Thai soldiers, according to the reports, which have not been confirmed by the Thai Foreign Ministry or the army.

The incident reportedly occurred 3 kilometres away from Phreah Vihear, an 11th century Hindu temple that has been the cause of many border disputes between the two neighbouring countries for almost five decades.

Bangkok - Cambodian soldiers fired on Thai soldiers, wounding two, Wednesday afternoon along the disputed border, according to Thai TV reports from the area.

The Cambodian side opened fire at 2:25 pm and allegedly injured two Thai soldiers, according to the reports, which have not been confirmed by the Thai Foreign Ministry or the army.

The incident reportedly occurred 3 kilometres away from Phreah Vihear, an 11th century Hindu temple that has been the cause of many border disputes between the two neighbouring countries for almost five decades.

Phnom Penh - Cambodia Tuesday urged developed nations to focus on poverty alleviation in less developed economies as part of a strategy to bolster the global economy.

In a speech to the annual International Monetary Fund and the World Bank meetings in Washington dated Monday and received Tuesday, Cambodia's IMF chair Chea Chanto and World Bank chair Aun Porn Moniroth warned that forgetting less developed nations during the financial crisis would have a long-term impact on the future of the global economy.

The statement said globalization meant countries like Cambodia were neither immune nor insignificant in the current crisis.