Thailand and Cambodia to hold negotiations in Malaysia over border conflict
Talks between the two South-East Asian nations are expected to go ahead on Monday afternoon in Malaysia, even as both sides accuse each other of launching fresh artillery strikes across contested areas.
Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai would lead the Thai negotiating team, the government announced in a statement on Sunday night.
Malaysia, which chairs the ASEAN regional cooperation forum, has informed the Thai government that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet would also be attending the talks, the statement said.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he had spoken to both leaders and believed that "both sides want to make a deal".
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the late-May killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief border skirmish.
Border troops on both sides were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.
Hostilities resumed on Thursday and, within just four days, escalated to the worst fighting between the two South-East Asian neighbours in more than a decade.
The death toll has risen above 35, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia, while authorities report that more than 218 people have been evacuated from border areas.
The US has also offered to mediate talks, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday calling for de-escalation.
Despite the talks, both sides on the weekend accused each other of further attacks.
Cambodia's Defence Ministry said Thailand had shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points along the border.
The ministry's spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at historic temple complexes.
The Thai army said Cambodian forces had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, on Sunday, and were mobilising long-range rocket launchers.
"The situation remains tense and Cambodian troops may be preparing intensified military operations to inflict maximum damage in the final stages before negotiations," the army said in an update.
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".
Reuters/AP
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