Thailand and Cambodia begin truce talks as fighting drags on
The latest escalation is the deadliest since violence between 2008 and 2011 over jungle territory that is claimed by both sides, after a vague border demarcation by Cambodia's French colonial administrators in 1907.
More than 200,000 people have fled since the fighting began.
US President Donald Trump − who both nations are courting for trade deals to avert the threat of eye-watering tariffs − intervened over the weekend, and said both sides had agreed to 'quickly work out' a truce.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet began their talks in the administrative capital Putrajaya.
They met at the residence of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, serving chair of the Asean bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members. Mr Ibrahim earlier told media he would focus on an 'immediate ceasefire'.
Thailand's leader said there were doubts about Cambodia's sincerity ahead of the negotiations in Malaysia.
'We are not confident in Cambodia, their actions so far have reflected insincerity in solving the problem,' acting Mr Wechayachai told reporters ahead of his departure for Malaysia.
'Cambodia has violated international law, but everybody wants to see peace. Nobody wants to see violence that affects civilians.'
On the eve of the talks, Thailand's military said Cambodian snipers were camped in one of the contested temples, and accused Phnom Penh of surging troops along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets.
It said there was fighting at seven areas in the rural region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by jungle and fields where locals farm rubber and rice.
'The situation remains highly tense, and it is anticipated that Cambodia may be preparing for a major military operation prior to entering negotiations,' the Thai military said.
Cambodia has denied Thai accusations it has fired at civilian targets, and has instead said that Thailand has put innocent lives at risk. It has called for the international community to condemn Thailand's aggression against it.
The tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the killing in late May of a Cambodian soldier during a brief 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.
Mr Ibrahim had proposed ceasefire talks soon after the border dispute erupted into conflict on Thursday, and China and the US also offered to assist in negotiations.
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Why did the Thailand-Cambodia conflict erupt suddenly and end swiftly?
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