On 15 October 2008, troops from Cambodia and Thailand opened fire at each other, letting loose tensions which have been building up ever since the UNESCO designated an 11th century temple at Preah Vihar on their border as a world heritage site in July 2008. The cross-border tension got a fillip when the opposition parties in Thailand began accusing the incumbent government of losing territory to its historical rival. Within a month of UNESCO's recognition, over 4,000 troops from both sides were in position at or near the 4.6sq.km area which surrounds the temple complex and is claimed by both countries.

Though various countries and international bodies have expressed concern over mounting tension along the Thai-Cambodia border and called for peaceful resolution of the dispute, the actual efforts towards the resolution of the dispute have amounted to little more than rhetoric. Faced with the international pressure, the two countries decided to halt the firing across the borders and initiate a process of political and military dialogue. Several rounds of bilateral talks had occurred over the months between both lower and higher level officials, but generated no genuine resolutions and Cambodia, realizing greater international support for its claim, brought the issue before the UN Security Council. So far, nothing substantial has come out of these meetings except for some of the permanent UNSC members, notably US, China, and France, calling for restraint and a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Amidst these bilateral and international interventions, ASEAN as the chief regional arbiter has been shown up in its inability to take any strong stand over the conflict. Both countries are member states of ASEAN, which is working towards creating an ASEAN Security Community by 2015. The cross-border cease-fire and bilateral dialogues were more a result of bilateral efforts taken by Thailand and Cambodia, than the outcome of any serious deliberation on the part of ASEAN. The dispute dominated the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore in July 2008, in which ASEAN could not do anything substantial except urging Thailand and Cambodia to employ "utmost caution and restraint." On the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Beijing in October 2008, ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan also stated that ASEAN was ready to mediate talks between the two countries toward peaceful resolution. Apart from the call for caution and the offer, the dispute was not adequately addressed.

Though some members of ASEAN such as Indonesia and Malaysia made efforts to step in, ASEAN as a multilateral body failed to get on board until the conflict escalated. Furthermore, war seemed likely with the occurrence of shootings as well as the discovery of fresh landmines in the area of focus. Given the facts of current political instability in Thailand, historical Thai-Khmer rivalry as well as Indochina's history as an unstable region, any indifference on the part of ASEAN can further destabilize the situation and inflate nationalistic sentiments in both the countries.

ASEAN's current confusion stands in sharp contrast to its pivotal role in the Indochina during the Post-Cold War era. The Indochina sub-region has twice, in the past, proved to be the comeback stage for ASEAN to claim its leadership role in the region. First, ASEAN emerged as the chief interlocutor in 1991 in the dispute-settlement process arising in the aftermath of the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1979. Second, ASEAN emerged as the only regional representative body in Southeast Asia in the late 1990s after successfully amalgamating all countries within its framework.

Why has ASEAN failed to take any concrete step towards conflict management on this occasion? The answer lies in the nature and functioning of ASEAN itself. First, ASEAN has never been able to act tough on any issue of regional importance, which involves large-scale domestic corrections by any of its erring members, whether the East Timor crisis, the haze crisis, or the one in Myanmar. This international dispute between the Thailand and Cambodia has also served as a potent divisive domestic issue for both countries, particularly Thailand, which is one of the founding members of ASEAN. While the Thai government did not initially oppose Cambodia's bid to UNESCO, the opposition party People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) provoked political fervor by accusing the government of relinquishing part of Thailand's legacy.

Second, the warring countries are not willing to discuss the issue at the ASEAN forum. The Thai government, while overtly pursuing the bilateral mode of negotiation, has reportedly covertly expressed its unwillingness to bring the issue to the table for regional deliberation. Given its limited clout within ASEAN and the greater international legitimacy for its claim, Cambodia too has chosen either a bilateral or an international course, thereby, circumscribing any mediating role of ASEAN.

It is time that ASEAN got its act together and worked towards enforcing its own mechanisms. The war is a clear violation not only of the ASEAN Charter but the basic tenets of ASEAN as identified under the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Interestingly, Thailand, along with two other founding ASEAN members - Indonesia and the Philippines - has not yet ratified the ASEAN Charter. ASEAN, being the sole regional cooperative framework in Southeast Asia, cannot afford to be so passive.