Cambodia has called for an "immediate" ceasefire with Thailand, after two days of cross-border fighting between the two South East Asian neighbours. Cambodia's ambassador to the UN, Chhea Keo, said his country asked for a truce "unconditionally", adding that Phnom Penh also wanted a "peaceful solution of the dispute".

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire for a second day on Friday as border fighting intensified and spread, while Cambodia's leader said Thailand had agreed to a Malaysian ceasefire proposal but then backed down.

The UN Security Council held an emergency closed-door meeting Friday in New York. Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to the hostilities and offered to mediate.

Phnom Penh: In the wake of violent clashes along the Thailand-Cambodia border, the Indian Embassy in Cambodia issued an advisory for Indian nationals. The Embassy also issued an emergency number for the Indian nationals staying in Cambodia.

Thailand favours bilateral negotiation rather than third-party mediation to resolve its military conflict with Cambodia, two Thai officials said, as fighting along their disputed border continued unabated.

Of course, trouble at the 508-mile (817 km) shared border is nothing new. For over a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points in the thick jungle punctuated with culturally-significant temples albeit with scant strategic or economic value.

But the fiery bout in Southeast Asia also marks a test for Washington's waning influence in a region viewed as a crucial theater in a geopolitical competition between the United States and China. "This crisis represents a critical test of American and Chinese influence in Southeast Asia,

The fighting began on Thursday morning close to the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple, beside the border between Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.View on euronews