CNA938 Rewind - Thai-Cambodia ceasefire: How it was reached
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Indonesia in ‘active talks' with Malaysia on de-escalating Cambodia-Thailand conflict as Prabowo, Anwar meet
JAKARTA: Indonesia is 'actively communicating' with Malaysia to encourage de-escalation of the Thai-Cambodian conflict, the presidential palace in Jakarta said following a meeting between President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday (Jul 29). Prabowo hosted Anwar for an annual consultation a day after the Malaysian leader, as chairman of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), helped broker a ceasefire agreement between fellow members Thailand and Cambodia. The annual consultation, which has not been held since 2017 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and political changes in both countries, serves as the highest-level bilateral mechanism between the two countries, aimed at reinforcing strategic and comprehensive cooperation. A statement by Prabawo's office described Tuesday's talks as 'warm'. Prabowo began the meeting by congratulating Anwar on his leadership and 'success in mediating conflicts in the region' and in facilitating the ceasefire deal. The Indonesian president added that he fully supports Malaysia's role as ASEAN chair in maintaining regional stability. 'We are ready to help, wherever and however,' said Prabowo. 'We want ASEAN to always resolve conflicts peacefully, through consultation, deliberation, and negotiation,' Prabowo added. In turn, Anwar told Prabowo that the cooperation among ASEAN members is important in maintaining regional security. "And now, in monitoring this security, ASEAN countries, particularly Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and the Philippines, will be responsible for monitoring this peace process," said Anwar. Thailand and Cambodia had been exchanging heavy artillery since last Thursday in a conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 30 people. They agreed on Monday to an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire starting on Tuesday, following talks in Putrajaya mediated by Anwar. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono said in a separate statement on Tuesday that since the first day of the recent Thai-Cambodia conflict, foreign ministers of ASEAN have been coordinating with each other to convey to Thailand and Cambodia the need to exercise restraint. 'Indonesia also conveyed to the ASEAN chair, Malaysia, that Indonesia is ready to do whatever it takes to achieve a de-escalation and ceasefire between the two countries," he added. Sugiono said that even though Cambodia and Thailand have a Joint Border Committee tasked with discussing their border issue, ASEAN is united in wanting the problem to be amicably resolved and through ASEAN's peaceful mediation method. BILATERAL ISSUES Besides the Cambodia-Thailand conflict, Prabowo and Anwar also discussed bilateral issues such as overlapping maritime claims, and reducing the arrests of fishermen in disputed waters, which had previously been a sticky issue between Indonesia and Malaysia, said Sugiono. When Prabowo hosted Anwar in Jakarta last month for preparations of the annual consultation, the leaders said they would jointly develop a disputed, oil-rich area in the Celebes Sea that Jakarta calls Ambalat but Putrajaya calls the Sulawesi Sea, and details would be discussed in the annual consultation. The two countries' dispute over the area dates back to 1979, when Malaysia published a map indicating its territorial waters and continental shelf boundaries. Indonesia and other neighbours such as Brunei, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam did not recognise this map. In a joint statement after the meeting, both the Indonesian and Malaysian leaders said they welcome 'continued progress' in the negotiations on maritime boundary delimitation, and reiterated the importance of the relevant agencies 'maintaining constructive engagement and close coordination'. Several Memoranda of Understanding were also exchanged during the annual consultation, including on health cooperation to increase health workers' capacity building and on cooperation in the fields of information and communications technology. Prabowo and Anwar on Tuesday also discussed establishing a community learning centre for children of Indonesian migrants in Sabah and Sarawak, Sugiono added. The 13th annual consultation is the first between Anwar and Prabowo. Anwar and his delegation arrived on Monday night and are expected to return to Malaysia on Tuesday night. During his visit, Anwar was accompanied by Sabah's Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, Sarawak's Premier Abang Johari Openg, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamad Hasan, Minister of Home Affairs Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek, and Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz. After his talks with Prabowo, Anwar also visited the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. He delivered a policy speech on ASEAN, where he revealed that he had also spoken to the leaders of Singapore and Brunei to update them on the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, and will soon talk to Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on the issue too.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Cambodia and Thailand commit to ceasefire following regional talks
Lim Menghour, the director general of Cambodia's National Assembly, tells CNA a truce between his country and Thailand reflects ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions, supported by active communication between the nations' armed forces and backing by Malaysia, China and the US.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Kremlin says 'committed' to peace in Ukraine after Trump's new deadline
MOSCOW: Russia is still committed to achieving peace in Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Tuesday (Jul 29), in the first reaction to US President Donald Trump cutting his deadline for Moscow to cease fire in the conflict. The US president earlier said he would slash his initial 50-day deadline to "about 10 or 12 days" and that he was not interested in talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin anymore. "We have taken note of President Trump's statement yesterday. The SVO (special military operation) continues," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, using Russia's term for its offensive. He also noted a slowdown in attempts to restore ties with the United States after Trump's comments. "We would like to see more dynamics. We are interested in this. In order to move forward, we need impulses from both sides." Multiple Russian strikes killed over two dozen people across Ukraine on Tuesday, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman and at least 16 inmates who died in a single strike on a prison. But Peskov said Moscow still remained "committed to the peace process to resolve the conflict around Ukraine and secure our interests".
