-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Thailand and Cambodia have called for dialogue as tensions continued to escalate over an ancient border temple on disputed land . Cambodian soldiers stand guard near Preah Vihear temple , close to the Thai border . The countries agreed to meet Monday even as each side deployed more troops to the site of the Preah Vihear temple , the national Thai News Agency reported Thursday . Both Cambodia and Thailand lay claim to the 11th century temple , which sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side . The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962 , but the 1.8 square mile -LRB- 4.6 sq. km -RRB- area around it was never fully demarcated . Last week , the United Nations approved Cambodia 's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- places the U.N. says have outstanding universal value . The decision re-ignited tensions , with some in Thailand fearing it will make it difficult for their country to lay claim to disputed land around the temple . Opposition parties in Thailand used the issue to attack the government , which initially backed the heritage listing . Watch Thai villagers block anti-government demonstrators '' A Thai court overturned the pact , prompting the resignation of Thailand 's foreign minister , Noppadon Pattama . He had endorsed the application . Cambodia , meanwhile , is preparing for general elections on July 27 . And Prime Minister Hun Sen , who has been in power since the mid-1980s , has portrayed the U.N. recognition as a national triumph . The current flare-up began Tuesday , when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area . Once they were let go , the trio refused to leave the territory , the Thai News Agency said . The Cambodian state-run news agency , AKP , said that Thailand sent troops to retrieve the men and gradually built up their numbers . Thailand denies the charge , saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory . The standoff continued Thursday , with each side asking troops to withhold fire unless they are fired upon , the news agencies said . Thailand has put its Air Force on standby to evacuate its nationals from Cambodia if tensions worsen , TNA said . So far , the only casualty has been a Thai soldier who was injured Tuesday by a landmine -- possibly left over from the time the Khmer Rouge occupied the area . The Khmer Rouge , a radical communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 , won power through a guerrilla war . It is remembered for the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Cambodians .