But the fiery bout in Southeast Asia also marks a test for Washington's waning influence in a region viewed as a crucial theater in a geopolitical competition between the United States and China. "This crisis represents a critical test of American and Chinese influence in Southeast Asia,

Tens of thousands of people sought refuge as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day Saturday, heightening fears of an extended conflict with the total death toll reaching 32.

The Southeast Asian neighbors, which share a disputed 500-mile frontier, have long fought over the sovereignty of a 1,000-year-old temple.

A Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, both sides said, as weeks of tension over a border dispute escalated.

Armed clashes broke out Thursday between Thailand and Cambodia in long-disputed border areas, rapidly escalating months-long tensions. The fighting included gunfire exchanges and shelling and rocket fire,

A personal feud between two of Southeast Asia’s political titans is inflaming the worst violence on the Thailand-Cambodia border in more than a decade.

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire along their disputed border for a second day on Friday, officials from both countries said, with more than a dozen people reported killed and more than 135,000 civilians evacuated.

At least 16 people have now been killed in a clash between Thailand and Cambodia's militaries along a disputed border region, which entered its second day Friday.