This story has the air of an Ealing comedy about it, only with real deaths and shooting. Cambodia and Thailand came close to war this week after remarks wrongly attributed to a soap star were used to stir up old hatreds and prejudices.

….a newspaper reported that Ms Kongying said that the venerable temples of Angkor Wat, the most prized symbol of Cambodian national pride, belonged to Thailand.

Kob denies she ever uttered the insult. As the face of Miss Teen, a Thai cosmetics brand that is a best seller in Cambodia, she may have been the victim of a smear campaign by rival Cambodian cosmetics companies, hoping her alleged words would trigger a boycott.