Talks under way between Thai and Cambodian leaders
The ambassadors to Malaysia of the United States and China were also present at the meeting on Monday in Malaysia's administrative capital of Putrajaya, the official said.
It is being hosted at the residence of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the regional bloc ASEAN.
Both Thailand and Cambodia accuse the other of starting the fighting last week and then escalating the clashes with heavy artillery bombardment at multiple locations along their 800km land border, the deadliest conflict in more than a decade between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had earlier said the talks were co-organised by Malaysia and the United States, and China would also take part in them.
"The purpose of this meeting is to achieve an immediate 'ceasefire', initiated by President Donald Trump and agreed to by the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand," Hun Manet said in a post on X as he departed for the talks.
Trump said on Sunday he believed both Thailand and Cambodia wanted to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting.
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 Thai Prime Minister Phumtham 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."
Cambodia has strongly 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.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had proposed ceasefire talks soon after the border dispute erupted into conflict on Thursday, and China and the United States also offered to assist in negotiations.
The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have arrived in Malaysia for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in their fierce border conflict amid an international effort to halt the fighting which entered a fifth day.
The ambassadors to Malaysia of the United States and China were also present at the meeting on Monday in Malaysia's administrative capital of Putrajaya, the official said.
It is being hosted at the residence of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the regional bloc ASEAN.
Both Thailand and Cambodia accuse the other of starting the fighting last week and then escalating the clashes with heavy artillery bombardment at multiple locations along their 800km land border, the deadliest conflict in more than a decade between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had earlier said the talks were co-organised by Malaysia and the United States, and China would also take part in them.
"The purpose of this meeting is to achieve an immediate 'ceasefire', initiated by President Donald Trump and agreed to by the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand," Hun Manet said in a post on X as he departed for the talks.
Trump said on Sunday he believed both Thailand and Cambodia wanted to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting.
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 Thai Prime Minister Phumtham 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."
Cambodia has strongly 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.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had proposed ceasefire talks soon after the border dispute erupted into conflict on Thursday, and China and the United States also offered to assist in negotiations.
The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have arrived in Malaysia for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in their fierce border conflict amid an international effort to halt the fighting which entered a fifth day.
The ambassadors to Malaysia of the United States and China were also present at the meeting on Monday in Malaysia's administrative capital of Putrajaya, the official said.
It is being hosted at the residence of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the regional bloc ASEAN.
Both Thailand and Cambodia accuse the other of starting the fighting last week and then escalating the clashes with heavy artillery bombardment at multiple locations along their 800km land border, the deadliest conflict in more than a decade between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had earlier said the talks were co-organised by Malaysia and the United States, and China would also take part in them.
"The purpose of this meeting is to achieve an immediate 'ceasefire', initiated by President Donald Trump and agreed to by the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand," Hun Manet said in a post on X as he departed for the talks.
Trump said on Sunday he believed both Thailand and Cambodia wanted to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting.
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 Thai Prime Minister Phumtham 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."
Cambodia has strongly 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.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had proposed ceasefire talks soon after the border dispute erupted into conflict on Thursday, and China and the United States also offered to assist in negotiations.
The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have arrived in Malaysia for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in their fierce border conflict amid an international effort to halt the fighting which entered a fifth day.
The ambassadors to Malaysia of the United States and China were also present at the meeting on Monday in Malaysia's administrative capital of Putrajaya, the official said.
It is being hosted at the residence of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the regional bloc ASEAN.
Both Thailand and Cambodia accuse the other of starting the fighting last week and then escalating the clashes with heavy artillery bombardment at multiple locations along their 800km land border, the deadliest conflict in more than a decade between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had earlier said the talks were co-organised by Malaysia and the United States, and China would also take part in them.
"The purpose of this meeting is to achieve an immediate 'ceasefire', initiated by President Donald Trump and agreed to by the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand," Hun Manet said in a post on X as he departed for the talks.
Trump said on Sunday he believed both Thailand and Cambodia wanted to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting.
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 Thai Prime Minister Phumtham 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."
Cambodia has strongly 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.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had proposed ceasefire talks soon after the border dispute erupted into conflict on Thursday, and China and the United States also offered to assist in negotiations.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
9 hours ago
- West Australian
Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar urges Australia to embrace AI as firm strips 150 jobs
One of Australia's first tech billionaires has called for the nation to become the data centre capital of the Asia-Pacific in the global artificial intelligence race, just hours after the software firm he helped found sacked 150 employees to replace them with AI. Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar said individuals, companies and countries needed to embrace AI or risk falling behind, linking the technology as key to lifting lagging productivity. He envisaged Australia hosting 'digital embassies' where foreign nations could store their sensitive government data on our soil — but under their own foreign laws. 'Why host your foreign data in any other country when you could host it in Australia with cheaper power, faster build times under the laws of your own country,' he suggested, in a speech to the National Press Club. 'We could be the provider of choice for every government in the region and for every business that needs a Southeast Asian data centre.' Mr Farquhar's tech push on Wednesday came after Atlassian chief executive Mike Cannon Brookes told employees they were being replaced with artificial intelligence. When asked about the sackings Mr Farquhar —who stepped down as joint-chief executive of Atlassian in September but remains on the board — said job changes as a result of increased AI uptake across the sector was natural and shake ups at Atlassian occurred on a 'regular basis'. Mr Cannon-Brookes told the discarded workers in a video message rather than face-to-face just hours before attending the address to support Mr Farquhar. During his address Mr Farquhar, who is chair of the Tech Council, said Australia has significant advantages for AI development — including abundant land and energy potential, a strong legal system and strategic location. However, he brushed aside security concerns over Australia collaborating with China on AI, saying he wasn't a national security expert and that the issue was more complex. 'I'm not an expert on national security. I do believe that those things are very nuanced conversations. I think it's clear that our highest security partner is the United States, and our largest trading partner is China,' Mr Farquhar said He said the Australian government and tech firms should collaborate in embracing AI technologies, to progress the speed of technology rather than bureaucracy. Adding that if Australian businesses 'simply adopted existing AI tools, we'd see a major productivity lift'. 'Research, by the Tech Council that I'm chair of, shows this could add up to $115 billion a year, in addition to our economy by 2030,' he said. He called on unions to help support workers who lose their jobs through AI take up, by supporting new six to four month 'tech trade digital apprenticeships'. He described them as short, practical qualifications to get people ready for high demand industries like data centre construction and battery installation, adding they could be stepping stone modulus to full trades. Mr Farquhar also flagged copyright law reform as a key area for the Government to tackle. 'We need to make changes to our copyright laws. Australia's copyright laws are out of sync with the rest of the world,' he said. 'While the USA and Europe have exemptions for fair use, for text and data mining, and the Australian Law Commission in 2014 recommended changes, and Australian Productivity Commission in 2016 recommended changes. 'We remain an outlier when it comes to copyright. He called on the Attorney General Michelle Rowland to 'urgently amend' the Copyright Act to 'look at fair use and text and data mining exceptions'. He said changing the Act could unlock billions of dollars of foreign investment in Australia. 'This is a barrier to AI companies who want to train or host their models in Australia, and this is even a barrier to Australian born companies who want to build our models here.' In April last year, Mr Farquhar had announced his resignation as joint chief executive of Atlassian before officially stepping down in September 2024.
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Perth Now
Thailand accuses Cambodia of new ceasefire violation
Thailand's military is accusing Cambodian forces of breaching a ceasefire agreement at three locations along the disputed border, warning that continued aggression could compel Thai forces to respond more decisively. The allegations on Wednesday come less than two days after both governments agreed to a ceasefire brokered in Malaysia, which came into effect at midnight on Monday. It aims to prevent escalation of the countries' deadliest conflict in more than a decade following five days of intense fighting that has killed at least 43 people and displaced more than 300,000 civilians on either side. The truce came after a sustained push from Malaysian Premier Anwar Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump, with the latter warning Thai and Cambodian leaders that trade negotiations would not progress if fighting continued. Thailand and Cambodia face a tariff of 36 per cent on their goods in the US, their biggest export market, unless a reduction can be negotiated. After the ceasefire deal was reached, Trump said he had spoken to both leaders and instructed his trade team to restart tariff talks. On Wednesday, Thailand said Cambodian forces fired on positions in northeastern Thailand's Sisaket province on Cambodia's northern border. "Cambodian forces used small arms and grenade launchers, prompting Thailand to respond in self-defence", Thai army spokesman Major-General Winthai Suvaree told reporters. "This was the second incident since the agreement and reflects a behaviour that does not respect agreements, destroys de-escalation efforts and hampers trust between the two countries." Cambodia rejected the allegations, saying it was committed to the ceasefire and called for observers. "Cambodia strongly rejects the ceasefire accusations as false, misleading and harmful to the fragile trust-building process," Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chum Sounry told reporters, adding the government supports a monitoring mechanism and independent observation. The ceasefire, which also agreed to halt troop movement, paves the way for a high-level military meeting that includes defence ministers on August 4 in Cambodia. There have been no reports of any exchange of heavy artillery fire but also no reports of troop withdrawals by either side.
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
Thailand accuses Cambodia of 'flagrant violation' of truce
Thailand accused Cambodia on Wednesday of a "flagrant violation" of a truce deal to end cross-border fighting, saying Cambodian troops launched an overnight attack on the frontier. The nations agreed a ceasefire starting Tuesday after five days of clashes killed at least 43 on both sides, as a long-standing dispute over contested border temples boiled over into open combat on their 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier. But Thailand's foreign ministry said its troops in Sisaket province "came under attack by small arms fire and grenade assaults launched by Cambodian forces" in an offensive which continued until Wednesday morning. "This represents a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement," said a foreign ministry statement. Thai government spokesman Jirayu Huangsab also reported overnight clashes but said in a statement "the Thai side maintained control of the situation" and "general conditions along the border are reported to be normal" from 8:00 am (0100 GMT). Cambodia has previously denied breaking the truce, designed to end fighting which has seen the two countries evacuate a total of more than 300,000 people from the border region. An AFP journalist on the Cambodian side who heard a steady drumbeat of artillery fire since fighting began last Thursday reported hearing no blasts between the start of the truce and Wednesday morning. - 'Still fragile' - The armistice got off to a shaky start in the early hours of Tuesday, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of continuing attacks in "a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust" -- before peace generally prevailed. Meetings between rival commanders along the border -- scheduled as part of the pact -- went ahead, with Thailand's army saying de-escalation steps were agreed including "a halt on troop reinforcements or movements that could lead to misunderstandings". But later in the day a foreign affairs spokeswoman for Bangkok's border crisis centre, Maratee Nalita Andamo, warned: "In this moment, in the early days of the ceasefire, the situation is still fragile". Jets, rockets and artillery have killed at least 15 Thai troops and 15 Thai civilians, while Cambodia has confirmed only eight civilian and five military deaths. The flare-up has surpassed the death toll of 28 in violence that raged sporadically from 2008 to 2011 over the territory, claimed by both nations because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia's French colonial administrators in 1907. The peace pact was sealed in Malaysia after intervention from US President Donald Trump -- who both Thailand and Cambodia are courting for a trade deal to avert his threat of eye-watering tariffs.
