Thailand and Cambodia plan to restore mutual trust and gradually strengthen the ceasefire after weeks of border clashes, Beijing said in a communiqué following talks with the two countries in southwestern China. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
On Saturday, December 27, the Southeast Asian countries ceased weeks of fierce fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million. This was the second ceasefire since late October.
The foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia arrived in China's Yunnan province for trilateral talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss the border situation on Sunday and Monday.
During his meeting with his Thai and Cambodian counterparts, Wang called the ceasefire "hard-won" and urged both countries not to abandon it halfway and not to allow fighting to resume.
"An important consensus has been reached," Wang said, according to his ministry's statement.
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According to a joint communiqué released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Thailand and Cambodia "will restore political mutual trust, achieve a breakthrough in relations, and maintain regional peace."
"Step by step"
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said after the talks that it saw "the need for a gradual restoration of mutual trust between the governments and peoples of the two countries."
"Thailand reaffirmed that the adjustment of relations should be carried out in stages," the ministry said in a statement.
It is also noted that Thailand "will consider releasing 18 soldiers after a 72-hour ceasefire observation period and will ask Cambodia to facilitate the return of Thai citizens along the border."
Representatives of the defense ministries of Thailand and Cambodia took part in the talks in China. Diplomats and military officials of the two countries held a series of bilateral meetings.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn told local media after the talks that "open communication" would be established between the foreign and defense ministers to "restore trust."
"We are open to communication to avoid small issues escalating into serious problems and to ensure that relations between military structures develop smoothly," he said.
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The latest round of clashes began earlier this month after a ceasefire, brokered in July by US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to halt a previous phase of fighting, fell apart.
As a sign of the possible fragility of the ceasefire, the Thai army reported a landmine incident in the border province of Sisaket on Monday. According to its data, one of the demining team members lost his left leg and suffered an injury to his left eye.
Mine incidents have been a catalyst for clashes between Thailand and Cambodia since July.
The Thai army stated that "evidence of anti-personnel mine use consistently indicates that Cambodian forces continue to employ such weapons," calling it "a gross violation of international humanitarian principles and unacceptable to the international community."
China has expressed its readiness to provide assistance in demining.
A statement from Cambodia's State Secretariat for Borders said a meeting on border demarcation was scheduled for the first week of January in Siem Reap.
The Thai side has not yet confirmed the meeting.