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BANGKOK, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's government on Thursday decided to expel a senior Cambodian diplomat after the Cambodian government announced that it would expel a Thai diplomat, Thai Foreign Ministry said.

The Thai Foreign Ministry has decided to expel the first secretary from Cambodian embassy in Thailand, giving him 48 hours to leave the country, Thai Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Vimon Kidchob told Xinhua.

The spokeswoman, however, stressed that it was not Thai side who started it.

Earlier, the Cambodian government announced that the government has expelled a first secretary of Thai embassy in Phnom Penh and ordered him to leave Cambodia within 48 hours. "He has conducted something against his diplomatic status," said Koy Kong, spokesman of Cambodian Foreign Ministry.

The Thai Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said since the Cambodian government had expelled the Thai first secretary earlier, "we took the measure in the same level and same nature, with nothing beyond it."

These are the latest moves taken by both countries in their row over Thaksin Shinawatra's appointment on Nov. 4 by the Cambodian government as its economic advisor.

Vimon also noted that the measures remain in the government level, and the Thai government is trying to avoid the consequence of the recent bilateral spat from affecting "the livelihood of the people of both countries."

Both sides had recalled their respective ambassadors from each other on Nov. 5.