ADVERTISEMENT
The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to meet in Malaysia for ceasefire talks, a spokesperson of the Thai prime minister’s office said on Sunday.
This came following mediation efforts by US President Donald Trump to end the deadly border dispute. The fighting, now in its fourth day, has killed at least 34 people and displaced more than 168,000.
Jirayu Huangsap said Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will attend Monday’s talks in response to an invitation from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim “to discuss peace efforts in the region.”
The spokesperson also said Phumtham’s Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet will also attend the talks, though this was not immediately confirmed by the Cambodian side. He added that Anwar was acting in his capacity as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is held on an annual rotating basis by its 10 members.
Trump had posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and suggested he would not move forward with trade agreements with either country if the hostilities continued. He later said both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Sunday his country agreed to pursue an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” He said Trump told him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following the US president’s conversation with Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.
“This is positive news for the soldiers and people of both countries,” Hun Manet said in a statement.
Thailand had initially expressed cautious support. Phumtham thanked Trump and said that Thailand agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for “sincere intention” from Cambodia, the Thai Foreign Ministry said. Phumtam called for swift bilateral talks to discuss concrete steps toward a peaceful resolution, it said.
Both sides blame each other for the clashes
The fighting flared up on Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia.
Despite the diplomatic efforts, fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested border, with both sides refusing to budge and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements.
Col. Richa Suksowanont, a Thai army deputy spokesperson, said Cambodian forces fired heavy artillery into Surin province, including at civilian homes early Sunday. He said Cambodia also launched rocket attacks targeting the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both countries, and other areas in a bid to reclaim territory secured by Thai troops. Thai forces responded with long-range artillery to strike Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers.
Richa said Trump’s efforts to mediate were a “separate matter.” The battlefield operations will continue and a ceasefire can only happen if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations, he added.
“Any cessation of hostilities cannot be reached while Cambodia is severely lacking in good faith and repeatedly violating the basic principles of human rights and humanitarian law,» Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said separately.
Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata accused Thai forces of escalating the violence with bombardment of Cambodian territory early Sunday, followed by a «large-scale incursion» involving tanks and ground troops in multiple areas.
“Such actions undermine all efforts toward peaceful resolution and expose Thailand’s clear intent to escalate rather than de-escalate the conflict,” she said.
Thailand on Sunday reported a new death of a soldier, bringing the total number of fatalities to 21, mostly civilians. Cambodia said 13 people have been killed. More than 131,000 people in Thailand have evacuated to safe locations and over 37,000 people fled from three Cambodian provinces. Many border villages are mostly deserted, with many schools and hospitals shut.
Evacuees hope for a swift end to the fighting
Pichayut Surasit, an air-conditioning technician in Thailand, said the sudden outbreak of fighting meant leaving his work in Bangkok to return home to protect his family.
“I didn’t have the heart to continue with my work when I heard the news. I wanted to come back as soon as possible, but I had to wait until the evening,” he said. Now at a shelter in Surin housing some 6,000 evacuees, Pichayut worries for his wife and twin daughters, hoping the conflict will end soon so they can return to their home in Kap Choeng district, one of the hardest hit by shelling.
The 800-kilometre frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief.
