South East Asia’s top diplomats are set to meet Monday in Malaysia to end deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that have killed at least 41 people and displaced close to one million others.
They will seek to revive a ceasefire that was brokered in July by Malaysia as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and US President Donald Trump in July.
It will be the first meeting between Thailand and Cambodia since fighting resumed on 8 December. Both countries have blamed each other for the fresh hostilities.
The conflict dates back more than a century, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.
The most recent fighting has seen the exchange of artillery fire along the 800km (500-mile) border. Thailand has also launched air strikes targetting Cambodian positions.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who presided over the signing of the July ceasefire alongsideTrump, said he was “cautiously optimistic” about Monday’s meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
“Our duty is to present the facts, but more importantly, to press upon them that it is imperative for them to secure peace,” he said last week.
Cambodia has said that the talks aim to restore “peace, stability and good neighbourly relations”, adding that it would reaffirm its position that the disputes should be resolved through peaceful means.
Thailand, while calling the meeting an important opportunity, reiterated its conditions for negotiations, including a declaration of ceasefire from Cambodia first and a “genuine and sustained” ceasefire.
The US and China have also been attempting to mediate a new ceasefire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had a phone call with his Thai counterpart on Thursday, said that he hoped a new ceasefire could be reached by Monday or Tuesday.
China’s special envoy for Asian affairs, Deng Xijun, visited Phnom Penh last week. A statement from Beijing said he reaffirmed that China would continue to play a constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Cambodia and Thailand.
Source: BBC
- Agencies
