The U.N.'s highest court is expected to rule Monday on a request by Cambodia for an immediate Thai troop withdrawal from a disputed border area around an ancient Khmer temple.

The two sides orally argued their cases before the 15 judges at The Hague at the end of May.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the 900-year-old Preah Vihear Hindu temple was located in an area under Cambodian sovereignty.

Thailand accepted the decision, but laid claim to more than four square kilometers of land surrounding the temple.

Tensions have mounted since 2008, when the United National Educational and Scientific Organization listed the temple as a World Heritage Site. Thai and Cambodia forces clashed for several days in the area in February, killing 10 people and forcing thousands of villagers to flee.

At least 18 others were killed during clashes at another border site in April.

In late June, Thailand withdrew from the World Heritage Convention and World Heritage Committee, saying the move was made to protect the country's sovereignty.