JAKARTA - ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn called on Thailand and Cambodia to return to their ceasefire agreement and make peace the priority as fighting between the two neighbors erupted again this week.

Speaking Thursday during Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao's first visit to ASEAN headquarters since his country joined the bloc, Kao stopped short of naming the warring parties but reminded all member states of their obligations under the ASEAN Charter and Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

"This foundation encourages us to uphold peaceful dispute resolution, strengthen cooperation, and ensure peace and stability are realized in our region," Kao said at the Jakarta secretariat.

The conflict now dominates regional and global headlines. Even the UN Secretary-General has joined calls for a ceasefire, de-escalation of tensions, and a return to dialogue and diplomacy, Kao noted. Civilians on both sides of the border are paying the price.

Thailand and Cambodia signed a peace deal on October 26 during the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. That agreement expanded on an earlier ceasefire reached July 28 after five days of heavy fighting killed at least 48 people and displaced more than 300,000 civilians.

The violence restarted last Sunday after both sides accused each other of breaking the ceasefire. Reports indicate about two dozen people have died in the December fighting, though exact casualty figures differ between the two governments. More than half a million people have fled their homes. Bangkok has used F-16 fighter jets to strike targets across the border.

The timing troubles Kao. ASEAN just welcomed Timor Leste as its 11th member at the October summit, a moment meant to celebrate the bloc's growing unity.

"Give peace a chance," Kao said.