Cambodian, Thai leaders to discuss conflict in Malaysia, foreign minister says
ANANTH BALIGA, YUICHI NITTA and APORNRATH PHOONPHONGHIPHAT
PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK -- The Thai and Cambodian leaders will go to Malaysia on Monday evening to discuss the four-day border conflict that has left at least 34 people dead and displaced more than 210,000, according to Malaysian and Thai sources.
Bernama, the Malaysian state news agency, cited the country's foreign minister, Mohamad Hasan, as saying Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will discuss the cross-border fighting that is centered around the disputed ownership of a temple and other territory.
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Asahi Shimbun
28 minutes ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Thai and Cambodian leaders to meet in Malaysia for talks to end deadly border dispute
A Cambodian military vehicle carries rocket launcher in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, on July 26 as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day, heightening fears of an extended conflict. (AP Photo) BANGKOK--Thai and Cambodian leaders will meet in Malaysia for talks to end hostilities, a spokesperson for the Thai prime minister's office said Sunday. This comes following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to end a deadly border dispute, now in its fourth day, which has killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 218,000. Jirayu Huangsap said Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will attend Monday's talks in response to an invitation from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim 'to discuss peace efforts in the region.' Anwar has been acting in his capacity as this year's chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet late Sunday night on several social media platforms confirmed his participation as well. 'I will lead (the) Cambodian delegation to attend a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur hosted by Malaysia, co-organized by the United States and with participation of China,' he said. China is a close ally of Cambodia, and had early in the fighting urged the two nations to resolve their differences peacefully, but Hun Manet's statement appeared to be the first mentioning a Chinese link to Monday's planned talks. Trump posted on the Truth Social social network Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and suggested he would not move forward with trade agreements with either country if the hostilities continued. He later said both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said earlier Sunday his country agreed to pursue an 'immediate and unconditional ceasefire.' He said Trump told him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following the U.S. president's conversation with Phumtham. Phumtham thanked Trump and qualified Thailand's position, saying it agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for 'sincere intention' from Cambodia, the Thai Foreign Ministry said. U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Sunday said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with the foreign ministers of both Thailand and Cambodia urging them 'to de-escalate tensions immediately and agree to a ceasefire.' Her statement added that the U.S. 'is prepared to facilitate future discussions in order to ensure peace and stability' between the two countries. The fighting flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia, with an exception for migrant Cambodian workers returning home. Despite the diplomatic efforts, fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested border, with both sides refusing to budge and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements. Col. Richa Suksowanont, a Thai army deputy spokesperson, said Cambodian forces fired heavy artillery into Surin province, including at civilian homes, early Sunday. He said Cambodia also launched rocket attacks targeting the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple, claimed by both countries, and other areas in a bid to reclaim territory secured by Thai troops. Thai forces responded with long-range artillery to strike Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers. Battlefield operations will continue and a ceasefire can only happen if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations, he added. 'Cambodian attacks remain irregular and may constitute violations of rules of engagement, posing further risk to border communities,' said the Thai military's daily summary of the fighting issued Sunday night. 'The situation remains highly tense, and it is anticipated that Cambodia may be preparing for a major military operation prior to entering negotiations,' it said. Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata accused Thai forces of escalating the violence with bombardment of Cambodian territory early Sunday, followed by a 'large-scale incursion' involving tanks and ground troops in multiple areas. 'Such actions undermine all efforts toward peaceful resolution and expose Thailand's clear intent to escalate rather than de-escalate the conflict,' she said. Thailand on Sunday reported a new death of a soldier, bringing its total number of fatalities to 22, mostly civilians. Cambodia said 13 people have been killed, though it was unclear if that included Lt. Gen. Duong Samnieng, whose death in combat was announced Sunday. More than 139,000 people in Thailand have evacuated to safe locations and over 79,000 people fled from three Cambodian provinces. Many border villages are mostly deserted, with many schools and hospitals shut. Pichayut Surasit, an air-conditioning technician in Thailand, said the sudden outbreak of fighting meant leaving his work in Bangkok to return home to protect his family. 'I didn't have the heart to continue with my work when I heard the news. I wanted to come back as soon as possible, but I had to wait until the evening,' he said. Now at a shelter in Surin housing some 6,000 evacuees, Pichayut worries for his wife and twin daughters, hoping the conflict will end soon so they can return to their home in Kap Choeng district, one of the hardest-hit by shelling. Bualee Chanduang, a local vendor who moved to the same shelter Thursday with her family and pet rabbit, is counting on swift negotiations to end the violence. 'I pray for God to help so that both sides can agree to talk and end this war,' she said. 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.' The 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The latest tensions erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics.
Nikkei Asia
2 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Shelling continues as Thai, Cambodian leaders prepare to meet
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, left, and acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai are scheduled to meet in Kuala Lumpur on July 28 to discuss a ceasefire. (Source photos by Reuters) ANANTH BALIGA PHNOM PENH -- Shelling continued along the Cambodia-Thailand border for a fifth day on Monday, according to officials in Phnom Penh, hours before leaders from both nations are scheduled to meet in Kuala Lumpur to discuss a ceasefire. Cambodia and Thailand have been engaged in intense cross-border shelling and firing as both lay claim to contested ancient temples and land along the boundary between the countries. At least 34 people have died since last Thursday, and more than 270,000 have been displaced on both sides.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Thailand and Cambodia to Hold Talks on Deadly Border Conflict in Malaysia
SISAKET, Thailand/PHNOM PENH July 27 (Reuters) – The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia will attend mediation talks over their deadly border conflict in Malaysia on Monday, the Thai government said, even as both sides accused each other of launching fresh artillery strikes across contested areas. Talks are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Monday, with acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai leading 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. 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 into the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in more than a decade. The death toll has risen above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia, while authorities report that more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas. Monday's talks come after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last week proposed a ceasefire and U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the two leaders had agreed to work on a ceasefire. CALLS FOR PEACE Bangkok and Phnom Penh have each accused the other side of sparking last week's hostilities. 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. 'For me, I think it is great if Thailand agreed to stop fighting so both countries can live with peace,' Phnom Penh university student Sreung Nita told Reuters. 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. In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling throughout Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on. A government health clinic about 10 km (6 miles) from the border had shattered windows, collapsed walls and exposed wiring. Local media reported it was hit by artillery on Saturday, two days after the building and surrounding neighbourhood was evacuated. Only a few men remained to look after their homes, camping near a makeshift bunker they had dug for protection. Intermittent sounds of artillery fire could be heard in the distance. 'It's great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace,' Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan told Reuters. Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but the situation worsened in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Skirmishes over several years brought at least a dozen deaths. Cambodia said in June it had asked the International Court of Justice to resolve its disputes with Thailand. Bangkok says it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.
