Thailand-Cambodian PMs To Meet In Malaysia For Peace Talks Border Conflict Anwar Ibrahim
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Mint
14 minutes ago
- Mint
Thailand, Cambodia begins peace talks in Malaysia: From 'immediate ceasefire' to Trump's tariff threat — 5 key points
Thailand and Cambodia opened peace talks on Monday in Malaysia, seeking a "immediate' ceasefire in the deadly border conflict that escalated last week. Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet began their talks in the administrative capital Putrajaya around 3:15pm local time (0715 GMT). 1. Leaders of Thailand and Cambodia met at the residence of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, serving chair of the ASEAN bloc of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members. Anwar Ibrahim had proposed ceasefire talks soon after the border dispute erupted into conflict on Thursday, and China and the United States also offered to assist in negotiations. 2. The Malaysian PM had earlier said he would focus on an "immediate ceasefire." Late Sunday, he said both sides would present their conditions for peace, but 'what is important is immediate ceasefire.' 'I hope this can work,' Anwar was quoted as saying by Malaysian national news agency Bernama. 'Although it's not as bad as many other countries, we have to put a stop (to the violence), he added. 3. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has warned that his administration may not proceed with trade deals with either country if hostilities continue. After separate calls with Phumtham and Hun Manet on Saturday, Trump had threatened that Washington would not do a trade deal with either as long as the fighting continued. According to Bloomberg, Trump had said before the discussions that the Thai and Cambodian leaders had agreed to 'quickly work out a ceasefire.' Washington's top diplomat Marco Rubio said State Department officials were on the ground in Malaysia to assist the "peace efforts" while Cambodia said a delegation from its close ally China would also attend. 4. China said on Monday it welcomed efforts to end fighting between Cambodia and Thailand, as talks aimed at seeking a ceasefire between the Southeast Asian nations got under way in Malaysia. "We hope that both sides will start from the shared interests of their peoples, uphold the spirit of valuing peace and promoting good neighbourliness, remain calm and exercise restraint, cease fire and end the conflict as soon as possible," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said. 5. Ahead of the negotiations in Malaysia, Thailand's leader said there were doubts about Cambodia's sincerity. "We are not confident in Cambodia, their actions so far have reflected insincerity in solving the problem," acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai was quoted by Reuters as saying ahead of his departure for Malaysia. He said, "Cambodia has violated international law, but everybody wants to see peace. Nobody wants to see violence that affects civilians." 6. Meanwhile, Cambodia has strongly denied Thai accusations that it fired at civilian targets, and instead said that Thailand has put innocent lives at risk. It has called for the international community to condemn Thailand's aggression against it. Cambodia's defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said Monday was "the fifth day that Thailand has invaded Cambodia's territory with heavy weapons and with the deployment of a lot of troops". Monday's talks mark the first formal dialogue since fresh clashes erupted on July 24, with at least 35 people killed and more than 150,000 civilians displaced on both sides of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border. Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the killing in late May of a Cambodian soldier during a brief skirmish. Both Thailand and Cambodia accuse the other of starting the fighting last week and then escalating the clashes with heavy artillery bombardment at multiple locations along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, the deadliest conflict in more than a decade between the Southeast Asian neighbours. Amid speculations over the ceasefire talks, troops from both sides reported ongoing fighting Monday along border areas. Gunfire could be heard as dawn broke in Samrong in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, Associated Press reporters covering the conflict said.
Mint
29 minutes ago
- Mint
Thailand, Cambodia Start Ceasefire Talks Amid Trump Trade Threat
Thai and Cambodian leaders began talks aimed at ending their deadliest border conflict in more than a decade, as the US and regional powers push for a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet are holding discussions Monday in Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facilitating the dialogue in his role as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Washington and Beijing dispatching envoys. Anwar's office said that the talks had begun shortly after the scheduled 3 p.m. start time. The talks mark the first formal dialogue since fresh clashes erupted on July 24, with at least 35 people killed and more than 150,000 civilians displaced on both sides of their 800-kilometer border. Tensions escalated rapidly over the weekend as heavy artillery fire and aerial strikes were reported, and both sides accused each other of targeting civilian areas. US President Donald Trump had said before the discussions that the Thai and Cambodian leaders had agreed to 'quickly work out a ceasefire.' After separate calls with Phumtham and Hun Manet on Saturday, Trump had threatened that Washington would not do a trade deal with either as long as the fighting continued. Before departing for the talks, Phumtham questioned Cambodia's sincerity in halting fighting as clashes continued into early Monday. The discussions were set to focus on ending the hostilities and maintaining Thailand's sovereignty, he told reporters. Thailand has insisted that any ceasefire must include troop withdrawals, an end to lethal force and an agreement to resolve conflict through bilateral mechanisms. Cambodia, by contrast, says it supports an unconditional end to hostilities. The current conflict traces its roots to long-standing disputes stemming from colonial-era maps and treaties that defined the two countries' boundaries. Relations had remained relatively stable since a 2011 clash that left dozens dead, but renewed tensions have triggered fears of escalated fighting. Read: What's Behind Deadly Thailand-Cambodia Border Clash?: QuickTake Trump threatened to block trade deals with both countries unless the violence stopped. 'We're not going to make a trade deal unless you settle the war,' Trump said Sunday, adding that both leaders expressed willingness to negotiate after speaking with him directly. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US officials are on the ground in Malaysia 'to assist these peace efforts.' China, the top trading partner for both Southeast Asian nations and a major backer of Phnom Penh, is due to participate in the talks, the Cambodian leader said. 'Both President Trump and I remain engaged with our respective counterparts for each country and are monitoring the situation very closely,' Rubio said in a statement. 'We want this conflict to end as soon as possible.' With Trump's Aug. 1 tariff deadline looming, trade-reliant Thailand wants to avoid antagonizing the US president, especially as its officials have been holding talks to lower the steep 36% planned levy on its exports. Trump has claimed credit for helping halt border clashes earlier this year between India and Pakistan by leveraging trade measures. It's an assertion India has consistently denied but Pakistan has embraced. Thailand's trade talks with the US have included offering expanded access for American goods to narrow a $46 billion trade surplus. Neighboring Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have already secured trade deals with the US in recent weeks. 'President Trump's pressure tactic seems to be working as both the Thai and Cambodian governments are struggling economically,' said Tita Sanglee, associate fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. 'Failure to lower Thailand's tariff rate will be politically costly.' But yielding to a ceasefire agreement when the Cambodian threat to take the territorial disputes to the International Court of Justice is still alive, won't likely be accepted by the Thai public or the military, she said. Cambodia has said it wants the court to help settle the disputed status of four border areas, after a skirmish broke out in May. Thailand doesn't recognize the court's jurisdiction. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
News18
38 minutes ago
- News18
Tanushree Dutta Asks People To Cooperate With PM Modi: ‘Mahadev Keh Rahe Hain…'
Last Updated: Tanushree Dutta urged people to support PM Modi, claiming Mahadev wants him to lead for 7 more years. She said all conspiracies against him will fail. Tanushree Dutta has been in the headlines ever since she posted a video claiming she has been harassed in her own house. Now, the actress has put out another very unusual story where she urged the people of India to cooperate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as, according to her, this is what Mahadev wants the countrymen to do. Taking to her Instagram story, Tanushree Dutta shared a selfie and wrote, 'Mahadev keh rahe hai ki next 7 years tak at least Modi ji hi PM rahenge. He is telling everyone to cooperate with him in taking the country forward. Saare shadyantra fail ho jayenge isiliye ye sab na kare (Mahadev is saying that for at least the next 7 years, Modi ji will remain the Prime Minister. He is urging everyone to cooperate with him in taking the country forward. All conspiracies will fail, so there's no point in doing all this)." 'Isse koi fayda nahi hoga. Unko unka kaam karne dein itminaan se. Sabki bhalai isi mein hai, sab milkar unka haath batayein in making India better (It won't lead to anything. Let him do his work in peace. It's in everyone's best interest to support him together in making India better)," she further added. Days ago, Tanushree Dutta left social media shocked when she dropped a video claiming that she has been harassed in her own house. On Tuesday night, Tanushree Dutta took to her Instagram handle and posted a video in which she claimed that she is being harassed by her family. In the video, Tanushree was seen visibly distressed as she considered taking action against her family members. 'I am being harassed in my own home. Mujhe mere hi ghar mein pareshan kiya jaa raha hai. I just called the cops. They came and asked me to come to the police station to lodge a proper complaint. I will probably go tomorrow or the day after. I am not well. Mujhe itna pareshan kiya gaya hai pichle 4 to 5 saalon mein," she said. After the video of the actress went viral, while several showed concern for her, many claimed she was doing it to get into the limelight. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
