Phnom Pehn/Bangkok, July 28 (UNI) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai are scheduled to meet today in Malaysia to talk over ongoing border conflict.
“I will lead Cambodian delegation to attend a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur,” Hun Manet said in a post on his official social media platforms last night, adding that “the purpose of this meeting is to achieve an immediate ceasefire.”
“I’d like to thank Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his initiative and coordination to organise and host this special meeting,” he added.
Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said that Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will lead a delegation to Malaysia for discussions on the Thai-Cambodian border issue.
In a statement, Jirayu Houngsub said Phumtham will travel to Malaysia today at the invitation of Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair.
Armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers over disputed border areas entered a fifth day on Monday, Cambodian defense ministry’s undersecretary of state and spokesperson Lieutenant General Maly Socheata said.
United States President Donald Trump said he warned both countries that future trade agreements with Washington would be suspended if hostilities continue.
“I spoke to both of the prime ministers, and I think by the time I got off [the phone], I think they want to settle now,” Trump said during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry.
He added he believed the talks in Malaysia marked a step toward de-escalation.
Cambodia and Thailand have traded accusations of artillery attacks in the hours since Trump said both countries had agreed to hash out a ceasefire.
The attacks on Sunday came after both sides said they were willing to start talks to end the fighting over their border dispute after Trump spoke to their leaders late on Saturday.
Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia.
Tensions between the South Asian neighbours escalated into fighting, following weeks of simmering unrest that began in May. The crisis was sparked when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border confrontation. Earlier, in February, a dispute over the contested Khmer temple of Prasat Ta Moan Thon had intensified after Thai police prevented Cambodian tourists from singing their national anthem at the site. In response to the escalating situation, Thailand’s Interior Ministry reported that over 138,000 people, including 428 hospital patients, had been evacuated from border regions and relocated to 300 shelters. Similarly, across the border, more than 20,000 Cambodians were evacuated from the northern province of Preah Vihear, according to local media reports.
