Stand down, peace only option for Thailand and Cambodia, urges PM Anwar

The Star

4 days ago

PETALING JAYA: Both Thailand and Cambodia must stop hostilities and reach an amicable resolution, urged Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as border clashes between the two countries escalated drastically on Thursday (July 24).
The Prime Minister said that as the current Asean Chair, he had sent messages to both his counterparts in Thailand and Cambodia urging for peace and would be calling them later to express Asean's views on the conflict that killed at least nine civilians.
'This is a very worrying matter, and tonight, I will speak to both prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia. These two countries are members of Asean and are also countries that are close to Malaysia. I have sent messages to both Prime Ministers and I am expecting to speak to both of them tonight (via phone).
'The least we can expect is for them to stand down and hopefully enter negotiations. Peace is the only option available,' said Anwar.
He said this to the media after attending the Asean Semiconductor Summit 2025 here on Thursday.
Currently, Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai is the acting Prime Minister for Thailand after Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended by the courts.
Hun Manet is the current Cambodian Prime Minister.
On whether Asean would offer to broker a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia, Anwar said for now Asean was focused on 'communicating and expressing our views to both countries.
'I had initial discussions with both prime ministers, and I am looking to talk to them later.
'It is too premature to suggest that trade will be affected, as both countries have shown interest in having amicable resolutions to the conflict. Both also want to keep Asean engaged in this matter,' said Anwar.
Earlier, Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire on their border in a sharp escalation of their conflict that killed at least nine civilians.
Both nations accused each other of starting the military clashes and have downgraded their diplomatic relations since Wednesday (July 23).
According to reports, Thailand also sealed all land border crossings with Cambodia. Relations between the South-East Asian neighbours have deteriorated sharply since an armed confrontation in May that killed a Cambodian soldier.
The Thai army said the most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a gas station. At least 14 people were injured in three border provinces.
The Thai army said it launched airstrikes Thursday on ground military targets in Cambodia, while the Cambodian Defence Ministry said the Thai jets dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Clashes are ongoing in at least six areas along the border, Thai Defence Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said.
The first clash Thursday morning happened in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province.
Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Cambodia has attacked both military and non-military sites in Thailand, including a hospital.
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said his country has always maintained a position of peaceful resolution of problems, but "we have no choice but to respond with armed force against armed aggression.'
Earlier Thursday, Cambodia said it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level, expelling the Thai ambassador and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok. That was in response to Thailand withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador Wednesday to protest a land mine blast that wounded five Thai soldiers.
On Wednesday, a land mine blast near the border wounded five Thai soldiers, one of whom lost a leg. A week earlier, a land mine in a different contested area exploded and wounded three Thai soldiers when one of them stepped on it and lost a foot.
The border dispute has also caused political fallout in Thailand, whose prime minister was suspended from office to be investigated for possible ethics violations over the matter.
Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognized Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries.
Cambodia went back to court in 2011, following several military clashes that killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013, a decision that still rattled Thailand.