Latest news with #borderconflict
New York Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Cease-Fire in Deadly Thailand-Cambodia Conflict Gets Armies' Backing
Senior commanders from the Thai and Cambodian militaries agreed to de-escalate one of the bloodiest border conflicts between their nations in decades on Tuesday, in meetings that were seen as a crucial test of whether a cease-fire deal reached the previous day would bring a lasting end to the fighting. The military talks came a day after the civilian leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, meeting in Malaysia, agreed to a cease-fire that was brokered on Monday by President Trump and Malaysia's prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim. The deal seemed to end, at least for now, days of fighting that killed at least 38 people and displaced hundreds of thousands, although Thailand's army on Tuesday accused Cambodia of continued attacks. The military talks were being closely watched because both armies, particularly Thailand's, are influential political players and were not represented at the discussions in Malaysia. Both Thailand and Cambodia said their commanders had agreed to immediately stop fighting; to refrain from sending more troops to the border area; to strengthen communication on both sides; and to form a working group to ensure that the cease-fire is fully implemented. 'We agreed not to send more troops. That is the key development,' said Lim Menghour, the director general of Cambodia's National Assembly, the lower house of the country's Parliament. Regional commanders from both sides held talks in three separate meetings. One meeting, between commanders of Thailand's Second Army Region and Cambodia's Fourth Military Region, which were involved in the fiercest fighting, was briefly postponed, but officials later confirmed that it had taken place. Mr. Lim Menghour said there was a good atmosphere at those talks, which were held in the Cambodian border town of Os Mach. 'I think if Thailand fully implements the agreed terms in the meeting and resolves the conflict peacefully, the situation will be back to normal pretty soon,' he added. The next talks on the border dispute are set for Monday, when defense ministers from both countries will meet. Malaysia will be an observer at those discussions. The fighting began on Thursday and continued for roughly five days, as Thailand and Cambodia pounded each other with attacks along the disputed border, including airstrikes. On Tuesday morning, in a Cambodian border region where residents had been hearing blasts for days, there was a lull. Cambodian officials said there had been no attacks since the cease-fire took effect at midnight. But Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree, a spokesman for Thailand's army, accused Cambodia of violating the cease-fire deal by firing in several areas near the disputed border early on Tuesday. Ms. Maly Socheata rejected those accusations. 'I would like to reassure everyone that Cambodia's troops are now firmly implementing orders and the cease-fire agreement since midnight,' she said. Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, played down the reports of continued fighting, blaming 'undisciplined soldiers' on the Cambodian side. 'We responded without going overboard,' he told reporters. 'When they fired small arms, we fired small arms back. We did not escalate. At the moment, it is considered calm.' Mr. Phumtham also made it clear that the army was central to Thailand's decision-making about the cease-fire. He said his civilian government took the army's advice 'on how we want to negotiate.' 'At the moment, we want the military to take part in talks and make decisions,' he said. Sun Narin contributed reporting from Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Kittiphum Sringammuang from Bangkok.
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Thailand-Cambodia border calm as military commanders hold talks
By Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat for Reuters Commanders of the Royal Thai Army (R) and Royal Cambodian Army (L) meet at the Thai-Cambodia border. Photo: AFP / HANDOUT Military commanders from Thailand and Cambodia have held talks, as calm returned to their disputed border and displaced residents began trickling back, following the Southeast Asian neighbours announcing a truce to end five days of fighting. Thai and Cambodian leaders met in Malaysia on Monday and agreed to a ceasefire deal to halt their deadliest conflict in more than a decade that has killed at least 40 people, mostly civilians, and displaced more than 300,000 in both countries. Although Thailand's military said that there had been attacks by Cambodian troops in at least five locations early on Tuesday, violating the ceasefire that had come into effect from midnight, commanders from both sides met and held talks, a Thai army spokesman said. This includes negotiations between the general leading Thailand's 2nd region army, which oversees the stretch of the frontier that has seen the heaviest fighting during the conflict, and his Cambodian counterpart, Thai Major Gen. Winthai Suvaree told reporters. The commanders, who met at the border, agreed to maintain the ceasefire, stop any troop movement, and facilitate the return of the wounded and dead bodies, he said. "Each side will establish a coordinating team of four to resolve any problems," Winthai said. In Bangkok, Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who travelled to the Malaysian capital to secure the truce deal, said he had spoken to Cambodia's defence minister and calm had returned to border area. "There is no escalation," Phumtham told reporters. "Right now things are calm." Maly Socheata, a spokesperson for the Cambodian Defence Ministry, said at a briefing on Tuesday that there had been no new fighting along the border. Vehicular traffic and daily activity resumed in the Kantharalak district of Thailand's Sisaket province on Tuesday, about 30 km from the frontlines, where Thai and Cambodian troops remain amassed. Chaiya Phumjaroen, 51, said he returned to town to reopen his shop early on Tuesday, after hearing of the ceasefire deal on the news. "I am very happy that a ceasefire happened," he said. "If they continue to fight, we have no opportunity to make money." In Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, 63-year-old Ly Kim Eng sat in front of a makeshift tarpaulin shelter, waiting for directions after hearing of the ceasefire deal. "So, if the authorities announce it is safe for all of the refugees to return home, I would immediately return," he said. The Southeast Asian neighbours have wrangled for decades over their disputed frontier and have been on a conflict footing since the killing of a Cambodian soldier in a skirmish late in May, which led to a troop buildup on both sides and a full-blown diplomatic crisis. Monday's peace talks came after a sustained push by 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 percent 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 had instructed his trade team to restart tariff talks. Pichai Chunhavajira, Thailand's finance minister, said on Tuesday that trade talks with Washington are expected to be concluded before 1 August, and that US tariffs on the country are not expected to be as high as 36 percent. The ceasefire deal reflected a rare convergence of interest between the US and China, which also pushed for the talks, but the agreement itself remained fragile and third-party monitoring was essential to keep it in place, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. "The ceasefire agreement has to be enforced," he said. "It cannot be left to Thailand and Cambodia to implement because the hostilities are running so deep now." - Reuters
Russia Today
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Thailand accuses Cambodia of ceasefire breach
A ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, brokered on Monday to end a deadly border conflict, came under immediate strain overnight as Thai forces accused Cambodia of violating the terms of the truce. The two South Asian nations have been embroiled in a territorial dispute rooted in colonial-era demarcation issues, with tensions flaring in late May and escalating into armed clashes last week. Malaysia played a key role in mediating the agreement to prevent further violence. On Tuesday morning, Thailand's military claimed that its troops had upheld the ceasefire, while Cambodian forces carried out 'disturbances and weapon attacks in multiple areas.' Thai Army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree condemned the alleged breaches and said Thai troops had responded with 'appropriate retaliatory measures under the legitimate right of self-defense.' Cambodia dismissed the accusations. Military spokesperson Maly Socheata said Cambodian troops 'have strictly adhered to the orders and agreements under the ceasefire.' As stipulated in the truce, military commanders from both sides met Tuesday morning, though no details about the outcome were immediately released. A joint border committee is expected to convene next week. Both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, reiterated their commitment to a peaceful resolution. The clashes claimed at least 37 lives, including civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands from communities along the contested border. During the ceasefire announcement in Putrajaya, both leaders thanked US President Donald Trump and the Chinese government for their roles in facilitating the agreement. Trump earlier stated that he used trade negotiations with both countries as leverage to push for deescalation.
Al Jazeera
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
The Take: What is the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia?
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to a ceasefire after clashes along their disputed border, home to centuries-old temples and decades-old tensions. The conflict is tied to political dynasties, shifting alliances and the growing influence of China. Can this ceasefire hold? In this episode: Tony Cheng (@TLCBkk), Al Jazeera correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé and Sarí el-Khalili, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Marya Khan, Kisaa Zehra, Melanie Marich, Julia Muldavin, Diana Ferrero and our guest host, Natasha del Toro. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
The Guardian
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire comes into effect as opposing military chiefs to meet
A truce agreement between Thailand and Cambodia came into effect in the early hours of Tuesday, testing whether it will halt the worst fighting between the neighbouring countries in more than a decade. Both sides agreed an 'unconditional' ceasefire would start at midnight on Monday to end battling over a smattering of ancient temples in disputed zones along their 800km (500-mile) border. In Cambodia's Samraong city – 20km from the border – an AFP journalist heard a steady drumbeat of artillery strikes throughout Monday before blast sounds stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight. Jets, rockets and artillery have killed at least 38 people since Thursday and displaced nearly 300,000 more – prompting intervention at the weekend from Donald Trump, who has taken credit for the ceasefire deal. The US president has threatened both countries with high tariffs and warned that trade negotiations would be paused until the fighting stopped. The peace deal was set to see military commanders from both sides meet at 7am local time (0000 GMT), before a cross-border committee is convened in Cambodia to further salve tensions on 4 August. 'When I heard the news I was so happy because I miss my home and my belongings that I left behind,' Phean Neth, 45, said on Monday evening at a sprawling camp for Cambodian evacuees on a temple site away from the fighting. 'I am so happy that I can't describe it.' A joint statement from both countries as well as Malaysia, which hosted the peace talks, said the ceasefire was 'a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security'. A spokesperson for UN secretary general, António Guterres, said on Monday evening that 'he urges both countries to respect the agreement fully and to create an environment conducive to addressing longstanding issues and achieving lasting peace'. The US state department said its officials had been 'on the ground' to shepherd peace talks. The joint statement said China also had 'active participation' in the talks, hosted by the Malaysian prime minister and chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc, Anwar Ibrahim, in his country's administrative capital, Putrajaya. Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Manet, thanked Trump for his 'decisive' support, while his counterpart, Thailand's acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai, said it should be 'carried out in good faith by both sides'. On the eve of the talks, Thailand's military said Cambodian snipers were camped in one of the contested temples, and accused Phnom Penh of surging troops along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets. It said there was fighting at seven areas in the rural region, marked by hills surrounded by jungle and fields where locals farm rubber and rice. The Thai king, Maha Vajiralongkorn, marked his 73rd birthday on Monday but a notice in the country's Royal Gazette said public celebrations scheduled for Bangkok's Grand Palace had been cancelled amid the strife. With reporting from Rebecca Ratcliffe and Agence France-Presse
