Samrong: Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged heavy weapons fire for the third straight day, officials from both countries said, after clashes on their joint border left 10 dead.
Thousands of civilians have been forced to flee the disputed jungle frontier after fighting broke out on Friday, shattering a tense two-month ceasefire.
A Cambodian field commander, Suos Sothea, said the fighting started at about 10:00 am local time (0300GMT) on Sunday and both sides were firing mortars.
"What we can confirm is it involves artillery shell fire," he said.
A Thai official at the border also confirmed the resumption of hostilities and said "Cambodia opened fire first".
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said the neighbours should "exercise maximum restraint" and urged the pair to launch "serious dialogue" in order to resolve the issue, according to a spokesman on Saturday.
Six Cambodian troops and four Thai soldiers have been killed since clashes restarted on Friday.
Heavy shelling was clearly audible 20 kilometres (12 miles) away from the scene of the fighting on the Cambodian side, according to a report, as those evacuated from their homes took refuge in schools and temples away from the clash.
Both countries have accused each other of sparking the violence, which is the first serious outbreak of fighting since February, when 10 people were killed in clashes near the 900-year-old Hindu temple Preah Vihear.
The latest clashes, which saw several hours of fighting on both Friday and Saturday, have taken place near a different group of temples more than 100 kilometres away from Preah Vihear.
Thailand has denied claims by its neighbour that it used "heavy guns loaded with poisonous gas" and flew aircraft "deep into Cambodia`s airspace".
The country recently admitted using controversial Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions during the February fighting but insisted it did not classify them as cluster munitions.
"When there is firing into Thailand, we need to fire back to protect over sovereignty," Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Sunday in his weekly television programme.
He said Thailand was willing to hold bilateral talks and accused Cambodia of trying to "internationalise" the conflict.
Phnom Penh has asked for outside mediation to help end the standoff, but Thailand opposes third-party intervention.
The two countries agreed in late February to allow Indonesian observers in the area near Preah Vihear, but the Thai military has since said they are not welcome and they have yet to be deployed.
UN Security Council members called for a lasting ceasefire after the last outbreak of violence.
Indonesia, which holds the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc, has called for an immediate end to the violence. Vietnam urged "maximum restraint".
Ties between the neighbours have been strained since Preah Vihear -- the most celebrated example of ancient Khmer architecture outside Cambodia`s Angkor -- was granted UN World Heritage status in July 2008.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6 square kilometre (1.8 square mile) surrounding area.
Bureau Report
