Fighting on the Thai-Cambodian border extended into a third day and new flashpoints emerged on Saturday as both sides said they had acted in self-defence in the border dispute and called on the other to cease fighting and start negotiations.

By Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook SISAKET, Thailand (Reuters) -When the Thai and Cambodian armies began shelling at their contested border on Thursday, Komsan Prachan thought his family was far enough away from the fighting to be safe.

China has dismissed allegations that it was supplying weapons to Cambodia amid its ongoing border conflict with Thailand that has led to at least 33 people dying and hundreds of thousands displaced.

JERTIH: Malaysia has proposed that Thailand and Cambodia use the General Border Committee as a mechanism to resolve diplomatic disputes between the two countries, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire for a second day on Friday as border fighting intensified and spread, while Cambodia's leader said Thailand had agreed to a Malaysian ceasefire proposal but then backed down.

"The U.S. already flunked the test and that should be a wakeup call," a former senior U.S. State Department official told Newsweek.

Clearly a significant number of territorial squabbles exist simply to provide a jingoistic distraction, an excuse to rally around the flag or challenge the patriotism of a political rival. And while they can flare up organically,