Asean offers to mediate in temple crisis

In a statement on the border stand-off between the two Asean members, Yeo said the regional grouping had decided to lend support to find an early resolution to the issue.

The stand-off was raised during a working dinner here on Sunday night, prior to the formal meeting of the group's foreign ministers.

"We urged both sides to exercise utmost restraint and resolve this issue amicably, in the spirit of Asean solidarity and good neighbourliness. We hope the General Border Commission (GBC) between Thailand and Cambodia, which will be meeting on Monday, and other bilateral talks, will find a way to defuse the situation," Yeo said.

Phnom Penh has also informed the United Nations Security Council of the situation, Yeo said.

"Cambodia has informed the UN Security Council of its position because this matter has hit the international headlines. It's for information," the Singapore minister who chaired the meeting told reporters.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the situation had escalated dangerously, with troops from both sides facing off on disputed territory near the temple.

"Asean cannot stand idly by without damaging its credibility," Lee said in his address to the opening of the Asean ministerial meeting.

Asean will ask Indonesia to set up a contact group to facilitate talks, according to Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda.

Thailand asked current Asean chair Singapore for a chance to put its side of the story, since Cambodia had already kept the grouping and the UN informed on its view of the stand-off.

"They [Cambodia] briefed the meeting from their point of view and we briefed from ours. We did not make any argument or judgement on who is right or wrong," said Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul, who led the Thai delegation to the Asean meeting.

In 1962 the International Court of Justice ruled that Preah Vihear is under Cambodian sovereignty. The 11th-century Hindu temple and its surrounding area became the centre of controversy when Thais protested over its inscription as a World Heritage site. The Thai army moved troops to the border while Cambodia responded likewise and accused Thailand of encroachment on its territory.

"I made clear to the meeting that the area is our territory. There is no overlapping area from our point of view," Sahas said.