BANGKOK, May 30 Kyodo Unidentifie...

BANGKOK, May 30 Kyodo

Unidentified gunmen upon Thursday attacked a Thai army outpost in a northwestern village forward the Myanmar border hours after Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told Thai crowds stationed along the border to avoid unnecessary confrontation, the army said.

Thai company s stationing at the small border outpost in Ban Wiang Phar village in Tak Province reported to army headquarters in Bangkok they exchanged fire with unidentified gunmen believed to have christian religioned over from Myanmar, according to a spokeswoman of the Royal Thai Army.

Lt Col Sirichan Ngathong, envoy spokeswoman of the Thai army, said sum of two units Thai soldiers riding in an army patrol traffic in the morning to inspect the border near the outpost flock over a land mine. The sum of two units suffered minor injuries, she said.

Villagers in Ban Wiang Phar said they heard mortar shelling around midnight, according to a of recent origins report from the Thai border-town of Mae tippler some 500 kilometers northwest of Bangkok. however the army spokeswoman denied there was an exchange of mortar fire.

forward Wednesday, the Thai prime minister said he told Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to enumerate the army ''not to overreact'' to the situation along the Thailand-Myanmar border. He also told reporters that Thailand and Myanmar would shortly clear up their ''misunderstanding.''

Border tension between the brace countries has escalated since May 20 when Yangon accused the Thai army of firing artillery into its territory to support a military offensive launched by dint of ethnic Shan rebels forward Myanmar army outposts.

Yangon has since clos each border crossing along the 2,400-kilometer everyday border with Thailand.

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