News In Brief

Thais report capture of 40 Viet troops in border clash

Thailand captured 40 intruding Vietnamese troops inside its border, a Thai military spokesman said Thursday. The announcement followed an exchange of artillery fire along the ill-defined border with Vietnam and a protest by Bangkok against what it said were unprovoked and blatant acts of aggression by Vietnamese forces. The spokesman said fighting was still going on in the border area.

It was the largest number of Vietnamese troops reported captured by Thailand in border clashes since Hanoi's forces invaded Cambodia in 1979.

An official note to the United Nations Secretary-General said Thailand was greatly concerned over the dangerous situation along the Thai-Cambodian border and urged Hanoi to ''exercise restraint and desist from further acts of armed aggression which could only escalate the violent confrontation.''