Cambodian, Thai leaders to discuss conflict in Malaysia, foreign minister says
ANANTH BALIGA, YUICHI NITTA and APORNRATH PHOONPHONGHIPHAT
PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK -- The Thai and Cambodian leaders will go to Malaysia on Monday evening to discuss the four-day border conflict that has left at least 34 people dead and displaced more than 210,000, according to Malaysian and Thai sources.
Bernama, the Malaysian state news agency, cited the country's foreign minister, Mohamad Hasan, as saying Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will discuss the cross-border fighting that is centered around the disputed ownership of a temple and other territory.
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Nikkei Asia
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Cambodian, Thai leaders to discuss conflict in Malaysia, foreign minister says
Cambodians displaced by the cross-border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia wait in line to receive rice, fish, and soy sauce at Wat Por 5000 pagoda camp in Kulen district, Preah Vihear province. Thousands of people have been in the camp since July 25. (Photo by Phoung Vantha) ANANTH BALIGA, YUICHI NITTA and APORNRATH PHOONPHONGHIPHAT PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK -- The Thai and Cambodian leaders will go to Malaysia on Monday evening to discuss the four-day border conflict that has left at least 34 people dead and displaced more than 210,000, according to Malaysian and Thai sources. Bernama, the Malaysian state news agency, cited the country's foreign minister, Mohamad Hasan, as saying Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will discuss the cross-border fighting that is centered around the disputed ownership of a temple and other territory.
Yomiuri Shimbun
11 hours ago
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Thailand and Cambodia Agree to Ceasefire Talks after Trump Steps in, but Border Clashes Persist
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He said he tasked his deputy, Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, to coordinate next steps with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and to engage directly with Thailand's foreign minister to implement the ceasefire. Thailand 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. The fighting first flared 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 was 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 Defense 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. 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. Bualee Chanduang, a local vendor who moved to the same shelter Thursday with her family and pet rabbit, is counting on swift negotiations to end the violence. 'I pray for God to help that both sides can agree to talk and end this war,' she said. The U.N. Security Council has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional bloc, to mediate peace between the two members. Human Rights Watch has condemned the reported use of cluster munitions, weapons banned by International law, in populated areas, and urged both governments to protect civilians. The 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The latest tensions flared in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics.
The Mainichi
13 hours ago
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US brokers cease-fire after Cambodia, Thailand border clashes
WASHINGTON/BANGKOK (Kyodo) -- The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to meet immediately and work on a cease-fire following cross-border attacks, U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday after speaking with them by phone. Clashes between Thailand and Cambodia in a disputed border area have continued since Thursday, leaving several people dead including civilians. Each side has accused the other of initiating the fighting. Trump spoke separately with Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet by phone over the weekend and urged them to end the fighting. He later wrote on his Truth Social platform that the two countries are "looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace." Thailand's acting prime minister said on social media that his country "agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place" and "would like to see sincere intention" from Cambodia. He also said he is open to a "bilateral dialogue as soon as possible," urging Trump to convey that to the Cambodian side. Hun Manet said in a Facebook post that Cambodia agreed with Trump's proposal "for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces" and he had assigned a minister to work on it.
