While Thailand has steadfastly opposed anything but a bilateral solution, Cambodia has appealed to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the UN Security Council and UNESCO to mediate the dispute. Cambodia's increasingly successful attempts to move the row into the international arena are likely to benefit that country, as the border surrounding Preah Vihear had previously been established in a 1962 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, which found that the temple and its immediate surroundings were Cambodian territory. On February 24th the Cambodian government officially asked the ICJ to clarify its 1962 verdict. After a February 22nd meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to allow Indonesian observers to monitor the area around Preah Vihear.

Both sides have blamed the other for provoking the clashes, but at least part of the blame lies with the fractious nature of Thai politics. Abhisit did not give the order to the Thai troops to open fire, perhaps a sign that he lacks control over the military. Some have questioned whether the ratcheting up of tensions over territorial issues may be a Thai military ploy to stall Abhisit's plans for an early election. If the Thai prime minister's Democrat Party wins a poll that Abhisit has claimed may take place in April (eight months earlier than is constitutionally required), then the prime minister's reliance on the Thai military will be likely to be lessened.