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Thailand, Cambodia officials start talks on maintaining ceasefire

Defense officials from Thailand and Cambodia have begun talks on the formation of a third-party team to monitor a ceasefire in their disputed border region. The four-day meeting began on Monday in Malaysia, which is this year's chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Malaysia helped broker the ceasefire, four days after deadly clashes erupted between Thai and Cambodian forces on July 24. ASEAN officials say Monday's talks focused on ways to uphold the ceasefire and have ASEAN form a team to monitor the agreement. Thai and Cambodian officials are said to disagree on the conditions for maintaining the ceasefire and the handover of 18 Cambodian troops detained by Thai forces. A defense minister-level meeting is scheduled for the final day of the talks, with representatives from the US and China expected to attend. Whether progress can be achieved remains unclear, as Thailand and Cambodia continue to trade accusations against each other.