Agreement aimed at resolving the border conflict was suspended shortly after Thai soldiers were injured after stepping on a landmine in Bangkok
Cambodia accused Thailand this Monday of launching an air attack after the two countries reached an agreement in Kuala Lumpur to resume negotiations on Wednesday to reach a definitive ceasefire.
Thailand and Cambodia announced this Monday, after regional negotiations in Malaysia, that they will resume direct negotiations on Wednesday to try to resolve the border conflict that left more than 40 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced in two weeks.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow announced the agreement after a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) taking place in Kuala Lumpur.
Cambodia, through its Ministry of Interior, expressed its “optimism regarding Thailand’s sincerity” in adopting a ceasefire “in accordance with ASEAN objectives”.
In statements made this Monday, Sihasak Phuangketkeow admitted that he considered the ceasefire agreement signed in October under the mediation of the US President premature, saying that the joint declaration was rushed because the United States “wanted it to be signed in time for President Donald Trump’s visit”.
That agreement was suspended shortly afterward when Thai soldiers were injured when they stepped on a landmine that Bangkok accused Cambodia of having recently placed.
According to recent official data, at least 43 people have died — 23 on the Thai side and 20 on the Cambodian side — since fighting resumed on December 7, and approximately 900,000 people have been forced to withdraw from the border regions on both sides.
Faced with the risk of an impasse, diplomatic efforts intensified last week, and this Monday’s meeting in Malaysia, the country that holds the rotating presidency of ASEAN, appears to have produced progress.
“Our position is that a ceasefire cannot be achieved with an announcement, but with actions”, warned the Thai Foreign Minister, reiterating one of his country’s demands: that Cambodia invest more in removing landmines from border areas.
China began mediation last week, with Beijing’s special envoy for Asian affairs, Deng Xijun, visiting Cambodia last week and meeting this Monday with Thai Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, in Bangkok.
“As a friend and close neighbor of Cambodia and Thailand, China sincerely hopes that both sides will seek to maintain peace and stability along the border,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jean.
The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia arises from a territorial dispute over the demarcation of their 800-kilometer border, established during the French colonial period.
