The temple has been a historic site of conflict. (Creative Commons)

Since Friday, at least five civilians and soldiers have died on both sides, while an unknown number of Cambodian and Thai residents have fled the area for safety.

Ownership of Preah Vihear, an 11th-century Hindu temple built during the Khmer Empire, stoked the dispute between the two countries. Both nations lay claim to the temple, which sits along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Phnom Penh and Bangkok disagreed over details of the conflict. Cambodian officials claimed Thai artillery shells have damaged the historic site while inadvertently leveling Thai homes and schools in the surrounding area. Thai officials dismissed those claims as propaganda; they argued Cambodia created the conflict in an effort to gain international support for their bid to control the temple. Both nations maintained that the other fired the first shot.

Both countries also disagreed over the extent the international community should get involved. In a letter to the UN Security Council, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called for international peacekeepers to mediate the border by operating as a “buffer” between the two armies. Thailand, on the other hand, insisted on treating the conflict as a bilateral issue.

While conflicting accounts and clashing interests make the situation unclear on many levels, members of the international community agree that both sides must pursue a peaceful resolution.

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon urged both countries Sunday to “put in place an effective arrangement for cessation of hostilities and to exercise maximum restraint.”

On Monday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa set off for Phnom Penh to call for negotiations. He traveled on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a geopolitical organization in which Thailand and Cambodia are both member nations.

The United States State Department echoed the UN’s sentiment of “maximum restraint” Monday, asking both sides to “take all necessary steps to reduce tensions” - but stayed silent on whether or not the UN Security Council should get involved.

The Preah Vihear temple has historically been a source of contention for the two nations. After years of dispute, the International Court of Justice determined in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but the ruling did not establish ownership of the land surrounding the temple.

In wake of Preah Vihear’s naming as a World Heritage site in 2008, both countries sent troops to reinforce their claims to the site, resulting in violent skirmishes. Cambodian military officials claimed 88 Thai troops and two Cambodian soldiers died in the scuffle. However, Thailand disagreed with their numbers, saying only “two to three” Thai troops were killed.

In 2009, Cambodia’s appointment of contentious Thai figure and former-leader Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic advisor to the government further diminished Thai-Cambodian relations, eventually leading to the withdrawal of Thailand’s ambassador to Cambodia. In response, Cambodia recalled its ambassador to Thailand later that evening.

In January 2010, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva proclaimed his intent to solve the border issue “peacefully, without the use of force.” A day earlier, Prime Minister Sen had expressed his interest in asking for secretary Ban to coordinate the discussion between the two nations.

Reach reporter Aaron Liu here.

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