KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- Malaysia today asked Thailand and Cambodia to resolve through talks their conflict over a remote plot of jungle on their common border where an ancient Hindu temple is situated.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that as partners in the 10-member Asean grouping, they should respect the Asean charter which, among other things, calls for conflict resolution through talks rather than force.
"If allowed to prolong, the conflict can tarnish the image of Asean as a regional organisation," he told reporters after delivering a keynote address at the launch of the Centre for the Straits of Melaka, here.
Last Wednesday, Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rockets and gunfire across their common border, resulting in reportedly the death of two Cambodian soldiers and injury of seven Thai soldiers.
The Preah Vihear temple, which is at least 900 years old, is a tourist attraction and World Heritage Site which sits atop a mountain.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) had awarded the area where the temple stands to Cambodia in a 1962 decision.
-- BERNAMA
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