Thai and Cambodian militaries exchanged heavy artillery and machine gun fire, killing several people and sending thousands fleeing the border.

Both sides blame the other for starting the fighting. Cambodia wants international help to prevent further fighting, while Thailand says the issue should be resolved bilaterally.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of the two countries met with the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council urged them to implement a permanent ceasefire and to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to end the dispute.

ASEAN foreign ministers are to discuss the issue next week in Jakarta.

Tensions first erupted in 2008 when the temple, which is in Cambodia - but with its main entrance in Thailand - was listed as a U.N. World Heritage site.

Thai nationalists objected, some of them claiming the temple is in Thailand, and both sides began building up military forces in the area, leading to occasional skirmishes.