PUTRAJAYA, July 28 — Cambodian and Thai leaders arrived here today for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in their fierce border conflict, a Malaysian official said, amid an international effort to halt the fighting, which has entered its fifth day.
The United States and China’s ambassadors to Malaysia were also present at the meeting, the official said. It is being hosted at the residence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is Asean chair.
Both Thailand and Cambodia accuse the other of starting the fighting last week and then escalating the clashes with heavy artillery bombardment at multiple locations along their 817km land border, the deadliest conflict in more than a decade between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet earlier said the talks were co-organised by Malaysia and the US, and that China would also take part in them.
“The purpose of this meeting is to achieve an immediate ‘ceasefire’, initiated by (US) President Donald Trump and agreed to by the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand,” Hun Manet said in a post on X as he departed for the talks.
Trump yesterday said he believes Thailand and Cambodia want to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting.
Thai acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai said there were doubts about Cambodia’s sincerity ahead of the negotiations in Malaysia.
“We are not confident in Cambodia, their actions so far have reflected insincerity in solving the problem,” he told reporters ahead of his departure for Malaysia.
“Cambodia has violated international law, but everybody wants to see peace. Nobody wants to see violence that affects civilians.”
Cambodia has strongly denied Thai accusations it has fired at civilian targets, and has instead said that Thailand has put innocent lives at risk. It has called for the international community to condemn Thailand’s aggression against it.
The tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the killing in late May of a Cambodian soldier during a brief 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.
Anwar had proposed ceasefire talks soon after the border dispute erupted into conflict on July 24, and China and the US also offered to assist in negotiations.
— Reuters
