Leaders of Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to a ceasefire in the deadliest border conflict in more than a decade after the US and regional powers attempted a diplomatic settlement, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
Acting Prime Minister of Thailand Phumtham Wechayachai and Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Manet held talks on Monday in Malaysia, organized by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar facilitated the dialogue as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Washington and Beijing sent their representatives.
Anwar, speaking after the talks, said the parties had agreed to a ceasefire from midnight.
The talks were the first official dialogue since new clashes erupted on July 24. At least 36 people have died and more than 150,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes on both sides of the 800-kilometer border. Tensions escalated sharply over the weekend, with reports of heavy artillery shelling and airstrikes, and both sides accusing each other of attacking civilian targets.
US President Donald Trump said before the talks that the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to "quickly negotiate a ceasefire." After separate phone calls with Phumtham and Hun Manet on Saturday, Trump threatened that Washington would not conclude a trade deal with either side as long as the fighting continued.
Addition
The current conflict is rooted in ancient disputes related to maps and colonial-era treaties that defined the borders of the two countries. Relations remained relatively stable after the 2011 clash that claimed dozens of lives, but renewed tensions have raised fears of escalating hostilities.