PHNOM PENH , Cambodia ( CNN ) -- Nearly 100 Thai soldiers crossed into Cambodian territory Wednesday near a disputed border temple that was the site of clashes last year , Cambodian officials said . Cambodian troops guard the Preah Vihear temple late last year amid heightened tensions with Thailand . The Thai army denied the claim . Thai soldiers crossed into the area of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple about 1:40 p.m. , said Phay Siphan , secretary of the Cambodian Council of Ministers . The two sides did not fight and Cambodia has asked Thailand to pull back . Thai Army Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said the troop movement was part of a normal rotation and that Thai soldiers had not gone anywhere they were not permitted to be . For months last year , the two countries saber-rattled over the ancient temple . The nations differ on whether some territory around the temple forms part of Thailand or Cambodia . Both countries posted troops in the area after the United Nations in July approved Cambodia 's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- a place the United Nations says has outstanding universal value . The temple 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 . Thailand claims , however , that the 4.6 sq . km ( 1.8 square mile ) area around it was never fully demarcated . Thailand says the dispute arose from the fact that the Cambodian government used a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia -- a map that places the temple and surrounding area in Cambodian territory . The United Nations ' 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 . Last year 's flare-up began July 15 , when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area . Once they were let go , the three refused to leave the territory . Cambodia claimed Thailand sent troops to retrieve the trio and gradually built up their numbers . Thailand denied that , saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory . -- CNN 's Tim Schwarz in Phnom Penh , Cambodia , and Kocha Olarn in Bangkok , Thailand , contributed to this report .
Official : Thai army crossed into area of 11th century Preah Khan temple . The Thai army denied the claim by senior a Cambodian official . Thai civilians and soldiers did not go anywhere they were not permitted to be . Both sides claim area around the temple belongs to them .