Thailand and Cambodia Begin Ceasefire Talks Amid Ongoing Border Violence
Thailand and Cambodia have begun crucial ceasefire talks to end escalating border clashes that have already entered their fifth day, forcing over 200,000 people to flee their homes.
The violence, centered around a long-disputed border zone rich in ancient temples, has seen exchanges of artillery fire, rockets, and gunfire since last week.
In a sign of growing international concern, high-level delegations – including convoys bearing American and Chinese flags – arrived at the Malaysian Prime Minister's official residence, Seri Perdana, on Monday afternoon. Malaysia, as the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is hosting and facilitating the negotiations.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, and Cambodia's Prime Minister, Hun Manet, met earlier in the day at around 10 a.m. local time (0700 GMT), with helicopters hovering over the capital city of Putrajaya.
The talks come after an unexpected late-night call over the weekend from US President Donald Trump, who urged both Southeast Asian leaders to 'quickly work out' a truce. US State Department representatives and a Chinese diplomatic team are also attending the peace discussions.
Despite the diplomatic push, tensions remain high on the ground. Both sides traded fresh accusations in the hours leading up to the meeting.
Thailand's Phumtham claimed Cambodia was 'not acting in good faith,' while Cambodian defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata accused Thailand of invading Cambodian territory for a fifth consecutive day, using heavy weaponry and deploying large numbers of troops.
The world now watches closely as regional and global powers rally behind hopes for a ceasefire and a lasting solution to one of Southeast Asia's most volatile border disputes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
8 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
DRCongo, Rwanda outline deal on mining, economic cooperation: US
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have reached an outline economic cooperation accord during their first talks since signing a peace deal, the United States announced. A peace agreement reached in June aimed to end decades of conflict in eastern Congo. It was overseen by Washington which has sought to increase its access to the region's vast mineral wealth. The 'economic integration framework' initialled on Friday is part of the peace accord, the US State Department said. It is designed, according to the peace deal, to introduce greater transparency into supply chains for critical minerals such as coltan and lithium and should be effective by the end of September. The State Department said the two countries had agreed to coordinate 'in areas including energy, infrastructure, mining, national park management and tourism, and public health', without giving further details. 'These milestones represent concrete progress in advancing security, economic cooperation, and the shared pursuit of peace and prosperity under the Peace Agreement,' Massad Boulos, President Donald Trump's senior advisor on Africa, posted on X. Eastern DRC, a region bordering Rwanda with abundant natural resources, saw a fresh surge of violence this year when the M23 armed group, backed by Rwandan troops, captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu. After months of broken truces, the DRC and M23 signed a declaration of principle on June 19 reaffirming their commitment to a permanent ceasefire. Two days earlier, the Kinshasa government inked an agreement with US group Kobold Metals, which specialises in exploring for critical metals. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi said in April he had met US envoy Massad Boulos to discuss access to minerals. Coveted minerals The DRC is the world's leading producer of cobalt. It also has deposits of gold and other valuable minerals including coltan, a metallic ore that is vital in making phones and laptops, and lithium, which is essential for electric car batteries. On Thursday and Friday, representatives from the DRC and Rwanda, alongside observers from the United States, Qatar and the African Union, held their first meetings in Washington since signing the peace deal. The US said the economic framework and a meeting on Thursday of the countries' peace deal monitoring committee were a 'significant step', saying the African neighbours were 'taking meaningful actions to advance security and economic cooperation'. The peace deal has been welcomed by the African Union and the United Nations, even if analysts remain sceptical about the chances of long-term peace while militias still hold sway in much of eastern DRC. The UN says thousands have been killed in the recent unrest and hundreds of thousands displaced. Rwanda denies providing military support to the M23 but says its security has long been threatened by the presence in the region of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), established by ethnic Hutus linked to the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Kinshasa and the M23 have given themselves until August 8 to start talks on a comprehensive peace accord, to be signed by August 17.
Daily Tribune
8 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
US trade advisor says Trump tariff rates unlikely to change
US trade advisor says Trump tariff rates unlikely to change Washington, United States New US tariff rates are 'pretty much set' with little immediate room for negotiation, Donald Trump's trade advisor said in remarks aired Sunday, also defending the president's politically driven levies against Brazil. Trump, who has wielded tariffs as a tool of American economic might, has set tariff rates for dozens of economies including the European Union at between 10 and 41 percent come August 7, his new hard deadline for the duties. In a pre-taped interview broadcast Sunday on CBS's 'Face the Nation,' US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said 'the coming days' are not likely to see changes in the tariff rates. 'A lot of these are set rates pursuant to deals. Some of these deals are announced, some are not, others depend on the level of the trade deficit or surplus we may have with the country,' Greer said. 'These tariff rates are pretty much set.' Undoubtedly some trade ministers 'want to talk more and see how they can work in a different way with the United States,' he added. But 'we're seeing truly the contours of the president's tariff plan right now with these rates.' Last Thursday, the former real estate developer announced hiked tariff rates on dozens of US trade partners. They will kick in on August 7 instead of August 1, which had previously been touted as a hard deadline. Among the countries facing steep new levies is Brazil. South America's largest economy is being hit with 50 percent tariffs on exports to the United States -- albeit with significant exemptions for key products such as aircraft and orange juice. Trump has openly admitted he is punishing Brazil for prosecuting his political ally Jair Bolsonaro, the ex-president accused of plotting a coup in a bid to cling to power. The US president has described the case as a 'witch hunt.' Greer said it was not unusual for Trump to use tariff tools for geopolitical purposes. 'The president has seen in Brazil, like he's seen in other countries, a misuse of law, a misuse of democracy,' Greer told CBS. 'It is normal to use these tools for geopolitical issues.' Trump was 'elected to assess the foreign affairs situation... and take appropriate action,' he added. Meanwhile White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett said that while talks are expected to continue over the next week with some US trade partners, he concurred with Greer's tariffs assessment in that the bulk of the rates 'are more or less locked in.' Asked by the host of NBC's Sunday talk show 'Meet the Press with Kristen Welker' if Trump could change tariff rates should financial markets react negatively, Hassett said: 'I would rule it out, because these are the final deals.' Legal challenges have been filed against some of Trump's tariffs arguing he overstepped his authority. An appeals court panel on Thursday appeared skeptical of the government's arguments, though the case may be ultimately decided at the Supreme Court.
Gulf Insider
a day ago
- Gulf Insider
Lula Threatens Response After Trump Slaps 'Witch-Hunting' Brazil With Highest Tariff-Rate Globally
On Friday President Trump imposed an unprecedented whopping 50% tariff on products imported into the US from Brazil, including nearly one-third of the coffee Americans consume daily. This is despite the US having maintained a trade surplus with Brazil amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars over the past decade, and it's all tied to the political firestorm of ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro's trial, and Trump's efforts to defend his friend known as the 'Brazilian Donald Trump'. The 50% tariff on select Brazilian imports is the highest rate currently applied to any nation globally, and with tiny Switzerland coming in second, having been shocked by its 39% tariff rate, which are the highest tariffs in Europe. On Switzerland, the BBC writes, 'It's the one story dominating the news and the airwaves on Friday. One newspaper, Blick, described it as the country's biggest defeat since French victory in the battle of Marignano in 1515.' But on the Brazil front, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has slammed the Trump tariffs as blatant political interference and says the government is preparing a response. 'We have always been open for a dialogue,' President Lula wrote on X. 'We are working now to respond to the US tariff measures,' Lula da Silva said. 'Only citizens and institutions of Brazil have the right to determine the country's path, including the relations with the United States,' he added. The US has included some exemptions: U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday slapped a 50% tariff on most Brazilian goods to fight what he has called a 'witch hunt' against former President Jair Bolsonaro, but softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies. Trump announced the tariffs, some of the steepest levied on any economy in the U.S. trade war, as his administration also unveiled sanctions on the Brazilian supreme court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial on charges of plotting a coup. Lula previously vowed to introduce tit-for-tat tariffs if Washington does not reconsider, while also expressing hope that his Brazilian delegation will be able to achieve the revision of tariffs through negotiations. The US has sought to present this as more than just political and more than merely motivated by protection of Trump-ally Bolsonaro, however. For example Wednesday's US Treasury statement announcing sanctions on those who are going after Bolsonaro also cited Brazil's 'unusual and extraordinary' actions as harmful to American businesses, free speech, and economic interests. Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the former president, has defended Trump's actions, saying it's not about revenge, but justice. Meanwhile Trump has said that President Lula can call him anytime.
