Latest news with #General Border Committee
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Cambodia, Thailand Reaffirm Ceasefire Agreement in Border Talks
Cambodia and Thailand agreed to uphold a ceasefire, more than one week after a US-backed truce ended the deadliest clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbors in recent history. A meeting of senior security officials from the two nations held in Kuala Lumpur approved a set of measures to strictly enforce the truce and ease border tensions. The so-called General Border Committee meeting also agreed not to move or reinforce troops and weapons along the disputed border. It also endorsed monitoring of the ceasefire by an interim team of Asean defense attaches led by Malaysia, Thai officials said at a briefing.
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Malaysia hosts two rivals caught in a century-old dispute: On the Thai and Cambodian brickbat — Phar Kim Beng
AUGUST 5 — Although the latest ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia offers a moment of relief, the roots of their territorial conflict run deep — stretching back more than a century to the 1907 Franco-Siam Treaty. That agreement, drawn up between France and Siam (Thailand's predecessor), attempted to demarcate boundaries based on colonial-era cartography, primarily relying on the rivers and natural terrain that separated local communities. At the time, borders were not defined by digital coordinates or satellite images, but by how rivers meandered through mountains, bushlands, and remote hinterlands. These riverine boundaries served a functional purpose in the early 20th century but were never intended to be permanent, especially not in a region where rivers shift over time due to seasonal floods, erosion, and sediment buildup. This historical reality has returned with renewed urgency, as the General Border Committee (GBC) between Thailand and Cambodia has now convened to try and resolve the dispute. The Committee's work is cut out: unless both sides acknowledge the shifting nature of rivers and the evolving grounds on which their maps are based, any legal or political solution will remain brittle. Cambodia continues to uphold the French-era 1:200,000 scale map from 1907, while Thailand insists on the more precise 1:50,000 version developed by its Royal Survey Department, with technical inputs from the United States. These incompatible cartographic instruments are more than just maps — they are political declarations of historical legitimacy. Yet, maps drawn in a colonial century cannot anchor peace in the contemporary world unless both sides reconcile their differences. As the GBC proceeds in earnest between August 4–7 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, it must do more than compare technical data. It must foster mutual recognition that natural borders — particularly rivers — are never static. People gather at Sisowath Quay riverfront in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, August 1, 2025. — Reuters pic The notion that mud sediments and altered watercourses can shift the basis of border lines must be internalised by both countries. Without such a pragmatic approach, violations along the contested border will recur time and again, despite diplomatic gestures or ceasefire agreements. Malaysia's role as host of the ongoing negotiations places it at the centre of ASEAN's peace-building efforts. As the Chair of ASEAN in 2025, Malaysia is not merely offering a venue. It is offering a vital space for diplomacy, restraint, and forward-looking cooperation. By bringing Cambodian and Thai officials together in Putrajaya, Malaysia is facilitating more than just talks — it is enabling the region's collective commitment to peace under the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. This process, however, cannot be rushed. The technical, legal, and emotional layers involved in redrawing or reaffirming national borders require patience, scientific consultation, and political courage. What matters now is that the GBC meetings stay focused on results: a harmonised understanding of maps, agreement on verification mechanisms, and a joint protocol to prevent and de-escalate future incidents. The war of maps must not return to a war of bullets. Malaysia is not just hosting two rivals — it is hosting a historic attempt to end one of ASEAN's oldest bilateral disputes. The challenge now is to turn this moment of convergence into a blueprint for durable peace. For if this opportunity is squandered, the region risks slipping back into cycles of conflict that no summit or ceasefire can contain. * Phar Kim Beng PhD is Professor of Asean Studies, International Islamic University of Malaysia and Director of Institute of Internationalisation and Asean Studies (IINTAS). ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
CNA
04-08-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Cambodia and Thailand begin talks in Malaysia amid fragile ceasefire
BANGKOK: Preliminary talks between Thailand and Cambodia defence officials started on Monday (Aug 4) in Malaysia, ahead of a key ministerial-level meeting on Thursday, as a fragile truce continues to hold a week after the two sides agreed on a ceasefire. The ceasefire, which came after five days of border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, was reached at a meeting in Malaysia last Monday, with help from the United States and China also observing. The worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade included exchanges of artillery fire and jet fighter sorties, claiming at least 43 lives and leaving over 300,000 people displaced on both sides of the border. The defence ministers of both countries are due to hold a meeting of the General Border Committee to discuss how to maintain the ceasefire, authorities on both sides said. The meeting on Thursday will be observed by representatives from the United States, China and Malaysia. Mistrust between the two neighbours has lingered despite the ongoing talks, with the Cambodian defence ministry accusing Thailand in a statement of violating the ceasefire agreement by using excavators and laying barbed wire in a contested border area. Thailand said both sides are maintaining their position without any significant movements. But "there are reports that the Cambodian side has modified their positions and reinforced their troops in key areas ... to replace personnel lost in each area", said Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a Thai military spokesperson. Cambodia also demanded that Thailand release 18 of its captured soldiers as soon as possible. Thailand said in a statement that the group are being treated well as "prisoners of war" and will be released after "a complete cessation of the armed conflict, not just a ceasefire".
The Independent
04-08-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Thailand and Cambodia hold high-stakes border talks in Malaysia amid fragile ceasefire
Top defence officials of Thailand and Cambodia began talks in Malaysia on Monday to hold the ceasefire on the border, a week after the worst fighting broke out between the two Southeast Asian countries in decades. The meeting of the General Border Committee, a bilateral mechanism established between two neighbours to resolve border issues, will continue for four days, concluding with the meeting of the defence ministers of the two countries on Thursday. The defence ministers' meeting will be joined by observers from Malaysia, the US and China. The meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur at a neutral venue and was extended from one day to four days at the request of Thailand due to the sensitivity of the situation. Malaysia brokered a ceasefire with the help of delegations from the US and China on 29 July after five days of fighting killed 43 people and displaced hundreds of thousands on both sides of the border. Mostly civilians were killed in the border clashes that included artillery fire and jet fighter sorties after the two sides blamed each other for triggering the conflict. While the ceasefire holds, the Cambodian defence ministry on Sunday accused Thailand of violating the ceasefire agreement by using excavators and laying barbed wire in a contested border area. Thailand said both sides are maintaining their position without any significant movements, however, it accused Cambodia of reinforcement along the border. But "there are reports that the Cambodian side has modified their positions and reinforced their troops in key areas... to replace personnel lost in each area," said Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a Thai military spokesperson. Cambodia also demanded that Thailand release 18 of its captured soldiers as soon as possible. Thailand said in a statement that the group are being treated well as "prisoners of war" and will be released after "a complete cessation of the armed conflict, not just a ceasefire." The clashes, which began near the ancient Ta Moan Thom temple in Thailand's Surin province, quickly spread to other disputed areas. Cambodian officials accused Thailand of launching air strikes and dropping bombs on roads inside its territory. Thailand blamed Cambodia for laying new landmines – one of which injured a Thai soldier and prompted a swift military response, including the deployment of F-16 fighter jets.
Malay Mail
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Cambodia and Thailand begin talks in Malaysia amid fragile ceasefire
BANGKOK, Aug 4 — Preliminary talks between Thailand and Cambodia defense officials started today in Malaysia ahead of a key ministerial level meeting on Thursday, as a fragile truce continues to hold a week after the two sides agreed on a ceasefire. The ceasefire, which came after five days of border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, was reached at a meeting in Malaysia last Monday, with help from the United States and China also observing. The worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade included exchanges of artillery fire and jet fighter sorties, claiming at least 43 lives and leaving over 300,000 people displaced on both sides of the border. The ministers of defense of both countries are due to hold a meeting of the General Border Committee to discuss how to maintain the ceasefire, authorities on both sides said. The Thursday meeting will be observed by representatives from the United States, Chinna and Malaysia. Mistrust between the two neighbours has lingered despite the ongoing talks, with the Cambodia defence ministry accusing Thailand in a statement of violating the ceasefire agreement by using excavators and laying barbed wire in a contested border area. Thailand said both sides are maintaining their position without any significant movements. But 'there are reports that the Cambodian side has modified their positions and reinforced their troops in key areas... to replace personnel lost in each area,' said Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a Thai military spokesperson. Cambodia also demanded that Thailand releases 18 of its captured soldiers as soon as possible. Thailand said in a statement that the group are being treated well as 'prisoners of war' and will be released after 'a complete cessation of the armed conflict, not just a ceasefire.' — Reuters
