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Bun Rany, the wife of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, led Buddhist monks and soldiers to the ancient Hindu temple yesterday morning to call upon their ancestors to protect the temple.

"The first lady called upon ancestral spirits to chase away the enemy," Min Khin, chairman of Cambodia's festival committee, told reporters after the ceremony.

Thai media reports said that the mysterious black-magic spells by Khmer wizards would not only protect the temple but also weaken Thailand. Some astrologers urged locals to wear yellow yesterday to deflect the spells.

Tensions have been running high since Thailand deployed troops in the disputed area on July 15, and Cambodia responded by doing the same. The dispute began when Phnom Penh applied for World Heritage Site status for the 900-year-old Hindu temple.

Things got worse when Thai protesters stormed into the complex in a bid to blame Samak Sundaravej's Cabinet for the loss of sovereignty over land in Preah Vihear's vicinity.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple was situated in a territory under Cambodian sovereignty, but Thailand said the ruling never indicated that 4.6 square kilometres of land around the ruins also belonged to Cambodia.

Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag yesterday spoke with Laurent Bili, the French Ambassador to Thailand, urging France to help bridge relations between Thailand and the former French colony.

Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said Tej had told the ambassador that France, which colonised the country in the mid-18th century, could join tri-party talks. Tej also econveyed Thailand's concerns over Phnom Penh's move to take the stand-off to the United Nations Security Council.

Tej had agreed with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong on Monday to redeploy troops in the area, but no changes were made on the ground.