The fighting ended at 12:00 noon local time on Saturday after Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire agreement. The war had been going on for the past 20 days.

More than 100 people have died in the fighting. Similarly, more than half a million citizens of both countries have been displaced. The core of the dispute is related to the disputed border area of ​​more than 800 kilometers between the two countries. The border area was demarcated by French authorities in 1907. Cambodia considers this as the basis of the border, but Thailand rejects it. Medieval Shiva temple at the center of the dispute The medieval Preah Vihear Shiva temple, located in the border area, has always been at the center of the dispute. The temple is owned by Cambodia. However, Thailand also claims the area around the temple. It has deployed troops in the surrounding areas. The dispute has led to two wars between the soldiers of the two countries in 2011 and this year. This magnificent temple was built in the 11th century. At the time, most of what is now Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam was part of the Khmer Empire. Its capital was the city of Angkor in modern-day Cambodia. As the Khmer Empire weakened in the 15th century, Siam expanded westward and Vietnam eastward.

At the same time, France was also expanding its presence in Southeast Asia. In 1863, the Khmer King Norodom Sihamoni accepted France's offer to remain a protectorate, which changed the map of the region. Historians say that this decision prevented Cambodia from falling into the hands of either Vietnam or Thailand.

Within a few years of gaining control of Cambodia, France defeated Siam (modern-day Thailand) and forced it to sign the Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907. According to this treaty, Siam returned to Cambodia the western cities of Battambang, Siem Reap, Serei Saophoan, the temple of Preah Vihear, and other border areas that had been captured by Siam from the Khmer Empire in the past. Cambodia has been maintaining that the territory is its own according to this treaty. However, Thailand has long objected to this.

Thailand had forcibly regained most of the territory it had lost in the 1907 treaty in alliance with Japan during World War II, including the temple of Preah Vihear. However, since the 'Axis Powers' had lost in World War II, it was difficult for it to retain the territory it had captured.

France lured Thailand back in 1946 on the condition of cooperation in obtaining membership in the United Nations. However, after Cambodia gained independence in 1953, The Thai army reoccupied the Preah Vihear temple. Cambodia took the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1959. In 1962, the ICJ ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia. Thailand accepted that the temple belonged to Cambodia. However, it maintained troops there, claiming the surrounding area as its own. Tensions flared again in 2008 when Cambodia declared the Preah Vihear temple complex a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thailand protested, and clashes between 2008 and 2011 left at least 20 people dead. Cambodia appealed to the ICJ in 2011, seeking further interpretation of the earlier ruling. In 2013, the court ruled that the surrounding area also belonged to Cambodia. Similarly, it also ordered Thailand to withdraw its troops from the disputed area. However, Thailand maintains its claim to the surrounding area.

The Preah Temple is still a heritage of common faith for devotees from both countries. This medieval Shiva temple is visited by both Buddhists and Hindus with common faith.

In 1963, Cambodian Prince Sihanouk decided that Thai devotees visiting the area would not need to obtain a visa. Despite the tension and war, devotees from both countries continue to come here. The architecture here has attracted everyone.