Timeline of tensions since 2008

Prasat Preah Vihear (ប្រាសាទ​ ព្រះវិហារ) is one of Cambodia’s revered temples located on the plateau of Dângrêk Mountains in Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia. Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia, though some of the outter areas are still under Thailand’s control. The temple has beautiful views all around and has the most spectacular setting of all the temples built during the six-century-long Khmer Empire.

On November, 11 2013, The International Court of Justice (ICJ) interpreted a 1962 ruling saying that "Cambodia had sovereignty over the whole territory of the promontory of Preah Vihear". - Reading of Judgment in open court | Court Decision

"In consequence, Thailand was under an obligation to withdraw from that territory Thai military or police forces or other guards or keepers who were stationed there," said judge Peter Tomka.

Timeline of Tensions Since July 2008:

July 8, 2008: The 11th-century Preah Vihear temple is awarded World Heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering Thai nationalists who still claim ownership of the site. The temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962

July 15, 2008: Three Thai protesters are arrested for jumping a barbed-wire fence to reach the temple, prompting a military build-up of hundreds of troops from both sides. A Thai army ranger loses his leg after stepping on a landmine nearby

August 3, 2008: Cambodian and Thai soldiers exchange fire for ten minutes, injuring one Cambodian

August 16, 2008: Cambodia and Thailand draw down troops on the border, leaving about 40 soldiers stationed from each side

October 3, 2008: Cambodian and Thai soldiers exchange gunfire on the border

October 6, 2008: Two Thai soldiers are injured in a landmine blast at the border, prompting Thailand to accuse Cambodia of recently planting the device

October 15, 2008: Troops again exchange gunfire, leaving three Cambodians and one Thai soldier dead

October 16, 2008: Thailand and Cambodia agree to introduce joint patrols in disputed areas following the deadly clashes

October 24, 2008: Thai and Cambodian prime ministers meet in Beijing and agree to prevent any more armed clashes

April 3, 2009: Officials say two Cambodian soldiers and one Thai trooper killed in heavy gunbattle on the border. A clash earlier in the day causes no casualties

July 7, 2009: Cambodians celebrate the first anniversary of the UN’s world heritage listing of the temple

August 30, 2009: Cambodia says it has halved the number of troops around the ancient border temple

September 19, 2009: Dozens of people are wounded as Thai “Yellow Shirt” protesters clash with local police and villagers near the temple, demanding that the Thai government push Cambodian forces out of the disputed area

September 28, 2009: Cambodian premier Hun Sen says he has ordered his troops to shoot anyone from neighbouring Thailand who crossed onto land around the temple

September 29, 2009: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva insists that Thailand still wants to find a “peaceful” solution to the dispute over the temple through a joint border commission set up by the two countries

December 21, 2009: A Cambodian soldier dies after stepping on an old landmine near the temple

January 24, 2010: Cambodian and Thai troops exchange fire some 15 kilometres southeast of the temple during a speech there by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, in which he urged troops to be brave defending their territory

January 29, 2010: Cambodian and Thai troops engage in a brief shootout on their disputed border, according to a Cambodian defence ministry spokesman

February 6, 2010: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife visit the temple, attracting some 100 protesters on the Thai side

February 9, 2010: Internet giant Google promises Cambodia in a letter that it will review a map of the temple after Cambodian authorities said Google Earth depicts nearly half of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple as being in Thailand

June 8, 2010: Cambodian and Thai troops briefly exchange fire on their border, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) away from Preah Vihear temple, no casualties reported

August 8, 2010: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen writes to the United Nations accusing Thailand of violating UN rules by threatening to use military force against Cambodia

August 9, 2010: In reaction to the letter, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says: “Cambodia wants to give an image of Thailand as an intruder or using force, which is not true”

August 14, 2010: Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Hor Namhong appeals to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for help in resolving the dispute, “in order to avoid any large scale armed conflict”

September 24, 2010: Hun Sen meets with Abhisit on the slidelines of an ASEAN-US meeting in New York and says they both agree to avoid further border clashes

January 31, 2011: Thailand demands that Cambodia remove its flag from Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda, which is built in the disputed border area. Cambodia refuses

February 1, 2011: A Cambodian court hands two Thais, including a high-profile nationalist activist, a lengthy jail sentence for spying and illegally entering Cambodia. The pair were inspecting disputed border territory when they were arrested

February 4, 2011: Thai and Cambodian troops exchange heavy fire on the border, leaving one Cambodian soldier and a Thai civilian dead and several soldiers injured on both sides

February 5, 2011: Troops briefly exchange fire again, leaving one Thai soldier dead, before a ceasefire is announced. Around 5,000 nationalist "Yellow Shirt" activists gather in Bangkok calling for the prime minister's resignation over the issue.

February 6, 2011: Fresh clashes leave one Cambodian soldier dead. Phnom Penh accuses Thailand of damaging Preah Vihear and asks for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. UN chief Ban Ki-moon calls for "maximum restraint" from both sides.

February 7, 2011: Cambodia reports fighting for a fourth straight day, but Thailand plays down the latest skirmish as a "misunderstanding".