CNA938 Rewind - India-Pakistan conflict: Ceasefire appears to hold after alleged violations
India's military operations chief is expected to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart about the next steps after a ceasefire. There were no reports of explosions or projectiles overnight, after some initial ceasefire violations. Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman get the latest with Dr Christopher Snedden a political scientist and author.
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Kremlin says 'committed' to peace in Ukraine after Trump's new deadline
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Thai-Cambodia ceasefire: ‘Rare diplomatic success' due to Anwar, ASEAN and US pressure
KUALA LUMPUR: The carrot of trade negotiations from United States President Donald Trump, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's leadership and the provision of a 'face-saving' platform for Thailand and Cambodia to conduct peace talks helped achieve a fragile ceasefire that began at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday (Jul 29), analysts told CNA. It is too early to tell if the ceasefire will hold, but with Thailand accusing Cambodia of armed attacks on Tuesday morning – which Cambodia has denied – there is now an urgent need to deploy observation teams on the ground, the experts added. They also said reports of some skirmishes hours after the truce came into effect are not surprising, and that the deal is a 'coup' for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Anwar. Border tensions between the two Southeast Asian neighbours escalated last Thursday into a deadly conflict that has killed at least 38 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in both countries. On Monday, Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed to an unconditional ceasefire after talks in Putrajaya chaired by Anwar, who is this year's ASEAN chair. The special meeting was co-organised by the US with the 'active participation' of China, according to a joint press release issued after the event. Both sides' regional commanders were also due to meet on Tuesday morning, and this could be followed by a meeting with both countries' defence attaches led by the ASEAN chair, according to the press release. A spokesperson from the Thai army said on Tuesday its Army Region 1 (Trat and Chanthaburi) has met with Cambodian counterparts. Its Army Region 2, which covers the Isaan region including the four provinces affected by clashes, is still setting up a date with Cambodian counterparts. The border situation was calm on Tuesday, with Phumtham saying "there is no escalation," and Cambodia's defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata adding earlier that there had been "no armed clashes against each other in any regions". WHAT CEASEFIRE MEANS FOR ASEAN – AND ANWAR? Some analysts have dubbed the ceasefire agreement a 'rare diplomatic success' for ASEAN. It reinforces the bloc's relevance in managing intra-regional crises, said Jamil Ghani, a doctoral candidate at Singapore's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. 'It revives confidence in ASEAN centrality and showcases the bloc's potential to uphold its founding commitments to regional peace, neutrality, and non-interference … The swift resolution also strengthens ASEAN's credibility as a framework for conflict mediation without great-power involvement,' he said. 'Amid mounting criticism over ASEAN's inertia on issues like Myanmar, the Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire illustrates that the bloc can still deliver meaningful outcomes — when its chair acts decisively,' said Jamil. Anwar had acted quickly and displayed his diplomatic skills in brokering the ceasefire, analysts agreed. He offered a neutral venue and framed the talks under ASEAN's diplomatic umbrella, giving both parties 'political space to de-escalate', noted Jamil. 'To save face, neither Thailand nor Cambodia would have acted to stop first, so Malaysia stepped in as mediator. Malaysia understands the predicament of Thailand and Cambodia and that is a starting point to end the conflict,' said Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan. While a 'coup' for Malaysia and ASEAN, Azmi and other experts noted US President Trump's role in nudging both sides towards peace. Both Cambodia and Thailand currently face a 36 per cent tariff on goods exported to the US, which is set to take effect from Aug 1, unless a reduction can be negotiated. 'Trump had linked tariff talks to a ceasefire. For all the talk about China, it seems that these states still can't do without the US market. ASEAN on its own was unable to broker a meeting earlier or to prevent the conflict from breaking out,' said Chong Ja Ian, an assistant professor of political science at the National University of Singapore (NUS). US Ambassador Edgard Kagan and Chinese Ambassador Ouyang Yujing were present during the meeting in Putrajaya. Trump on Monday claimed that both countries reached a ceasefire and peace because of his involvement, and said trade negotiations would resume. 'By ending this war, we have saved thousands of lives. I have instructed my trade team to restart negotiations on trade. I have now ended many wars in just six months — I am proud to be the President of peace!' he said on the Truth Social platform. Anwar himself called the agreement 'concrete evidence of ASEAN's diplomatic strength' and said the 10-member bloc 'remains united and principled'. It was the alignment of multiple factors that led to the announcement of the ceasefire, said retired Malaysian ambassador Ilango Karuppannan. For Anwar, the ceasefire success is both symbolic and strategic, coming days after thousands of Malaysians took to the streets to protest rising living costs and a perceived lack of reform by his unity government, marking the first major protest since he came to power in 2022. 'Domestically, it provides a high-profile foreign policy achievement during Malaysia's ASEAN chairmanship — one that can strengthen his government's standing and enhance Malaysia's diplomatic profile,' Jamil said. While it boosts his international image, 'whether that helps his domestic situation is yet to be seen', said Ilango. GROUND MONITORING NOW NEEDED However, with the spectre of one or both sides reneging on the ceasefire, experts said there is an immediate need for a monitoring and observation team. It is common to see remnants of fighting as local commanders may not have all received the orders, said Ilango. 'Sometimes, it's simple things like (the) lack of walkie talkies. Sometimes, a soldier wants revenge for his friends' death,' he said. 'So what can the three governments do? The first is to deploy the ceasefire monitoring or observation mission immediately. It must go to the ground and not just go to the capitals for briefings,' he added. Even with an agreement in place, one or both sides could always renege on it, noted Chong. 'There is presently no mechanism in place to restrain their behaviour. Tensions, suspicions, tempers and animosity continue to run high. Ultimately, the two sides need to move troops away from each other to avoid rapid escalation and allow negotiations to prevail,' he said. The latest reports of clashes, he said, suggests the 'real limits to what ASEAN and other actors can do' if they are not utilising political capital to get the two sides to stop the hostilities. 'If ASEAN wishes to be more active, it could offer observers on the ground to monitor phased withdrawals by both sides and provide transparency to avoid misunderstanding or miscalculation by the Thai and Cambodian sides on the ground,' Chong said. Chong said ASEAN could theoretically work with the United Nations (UN) or offer its own peacekeepers to keep the two sides apart. But this would be challenging, he said, as it could involve putting personnel from other ASEAN states in the middle of tensions, or suggest that ASEAN is unable to act on its own if other actors are called in. 'This option does not appear to be on the table right now,' Chong noted. Malaysia could also try to convene further talks between Cambodia and Thailand in the hopes that this could bring more stability to the relationship, he added. The joint statement after the Putrajaya talks had stated that direct communications between the prime ministers, foreign and defence ministers of Cambodia and Thailand will resume.
CNA
5 hours ago
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Gunmen involved in Indian Kashmir tourist attack killed: Minister
NEW DELHI: Indian security forces have killed three Pakistani gunmen who were involved in an April attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir that led to an intense military conflict between the two countries, home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday (Jul 29). The heavily-armed men were killed in a military operation on Monday, more than three months after 26 people were gunned down in a popular resort town of Indian Kashmir on Apr 22. "I want to tell the parliament (that) those who attacked in Baisaran were three terrorists and all three have been killed," he said. Shah said all three were Pakistani nationals and identified two of them as members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan. "Indian security agencies have detailed evidence of their involvement in the attack," he said in a speech in the lower house of parliament. Monday's operation took place in the mountains of Dachigam, around 30km from the disputed region's main city of Srinagar, the army said in a statement. The attack in April saw gunmen burst out of forests near Pahalgam and rake crowds of visitors with automatic weapons. All those killed were listed as residents of India except one man from Nepal. Survivors said gunmen had separated the men from the women and children and ordered some of the men to recite the Muslim declaration of faith. India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied, sparking an intense four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides. Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and the neighbours - who both claim the region in full - have fought two wars and several conflicts over its control. Shah said a security meeting was held immediately after the attack and it was decided that the attackers should not be "allowed to leave the country and return to Pakistan". Investigators relied on eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence to establish that the rifles found on the men were the same that were used in the April attack, he said. "It was confirmed that these three rifles were involved in killing of our innocent civilians," said Shah. A shadowy group called The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the April attack. But as public criticism mounted over the killings, the group retracted its claim. Earlier this month, the United States described the TRF as a "front and proxy"
