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Los Angeles Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Thai and Cambodian leaders to meet in Malaysia for talks to end deadly border dispute
BANGKOK — Thai and Cambodian leaders will meet in Malaysia for talks to end hostilities, a spokesperson for the Thai prime minister's office said Sunday. This comes after pressure from President Trump to end a deadly border dispute, now in its fourth day, which 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 Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, held on an annual rotating basis by its 10 members. Trump posted on his social media site 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. Hun Manet said earlier 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 U.S. president's conversation with Phumtham. He said he tasked his foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, with coordinating the 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. Phumtham called for swift bilateral talks to discuss concrete steps toward a peaceful resolution, it said. The fighting flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the fighting. 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 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 have fled 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 so that both sides can agree to talk and end this war,' she said. At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said he was praying for all those affected by war in the world, including 'for those affected by the clashes on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, especially the children and displaced families.' The United Nations Security Council has called on ASEAN, 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 500-mile frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past clashes have been limited and brief. The latest tensions erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Saksornchai and Cheang write for the Associated Press and reported from Bangkok and Samrong, Cambodia, respectively. AP writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Thailand and Cambodia trade accusations as deadly border clashes enter third day
SURIN, Thailand — Thailand and Cambodia traded accusations Saturday of fresh attacks as deadly border clashes entered a third day, leaving at least 33 people dead and more than 168,000 displaced, as international pressure mounted on both sides to reach a ceasefire. Artillery fire and gunshots were reported near several border villages, expanding the area of the fighting that flared again Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Cambodian and Thai officials claimed to have acted in retaliation. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its northeastern border crossings with Cambodia. Cambodian authorities on Saturday reported 12 new deaths, bringing its toll to 13, while Thai officials said a soldier was killed, raising the deaths to 20, mostly civilians. The regional bloc, the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, is under growing pressure to defuse the situation between its two members. During an emergency meeting Friday, members of the United Nations Security Council called for de-escalation and urged ASEAN to mediate a peaceful solution. The 500-mile frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Cambodia's Defense Ministry condemned what it said was an expanded Thai offensive early Saturday after five heavy artillery shells were fired into several locations in the province of Pursat, calling the attack an 'unprovoked and premeditated act of aggression.' Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said tensions flared in the province of Koh Kong, where four Thai naval vessels were reportedly stationed offshore and four others en route. She said the naval deployment was an 'act of aggression' that risked further escalation. Maly Socheata said seven civilians and five soldiers were killed in two days of fighting. Earlier, one man was reported dead after a pagoda he was hiding under was hit by Thai rockets. The Thai army had denied targeting Cambodian civilian sites and accused Phnom Penh of using human shields by positioning their weapons near residential areas. Meanwhile, Thailand's navy, in a statement Saturday, accused Cambodian forces of initiating a new attack in the province of Trat, saying Thai forces responded swiftly and 'successfully pushed back the Cambodian incursion at three key points,' warning that 'aggression will not be tolerated.' Thai authorities also alleged that several Cambodian artillery shells had landed across the border in Laos, damaging homes and property. Laotian officials have not publicly responded to the claim. The conflict has so far left tens of thousands displaced. Cambodia's Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said Saturday the clashes had forced 10,865 Cambodian families, or 37,635 people, in three border provinces to evacuate to safe locations, while Thai officials said more than 131,000 people had fled their border villages. Human Rights Watch urged the U.N. Security Council and concerned nations to press the Thai and Cambodian governments to abide by international humanitarian law and take all steps to protect civilians. Children have been harmed and Thai authorities have closed at least 852 schools and seven hospitals for safety reasons, the rights group said in a statement Saturday. Both sides have employed rocket and artillery attacks, and after initially denying Cambodian claims that internationally prohibited cluster munitions were being used, a Thai military spokesperson in a statement Friday said that such weapons could be utilized 'when necessary' to target military objectives. Human Rights Watch condemned the use of cluster munitions in populated areas. Neither Thailand nor Cambodia is party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use of the weapon, and Thai authorities previously used them during a border dispute with Cambodia in February 2011 that left 20 people dead. 'Neither Thailand nor Cambodia appears to be paying attention to international humanitarian law at great expense to civilians,' John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. 'Diplomatic efforts underway need to prioritize protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure.' Thai officials also acknowledged the use of F-16 jets and drones to launch airstrikes. The U.N. Security Council didn't issue a resolution on the crisis during its Friday emergency session, but Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Saturday all 15 member countries called on both sides to exercise restraint, halt attacks and resolve the dispute peacefully. They also supported ASEAN's role in mediating between its two member states, he said. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country is the current ASEAN chair, had earlier said Thailand and Cambodia were open in principle to his ceasefire proposal. Malaysian media said Anwar has tasked the country's foreign minister to mediate peace talks to halt the fighting. Maris said Saturday his country agreed in principle to the proposal, but insisted that Cambodia must first show sincerity and cease hostilities, adding that Thailand would continue to engage constructively with Malaysia. 'Thailand reaffirms its commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully and in accordance with international law,' he said, urging Cambodia to 'return to the negotiating table with sincerity and in good faith.' Saksornchai and Cheang write for the Associated Press and reported from Surin and Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia, respectively. AP writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
