PUTRAJAYA, Aug 1 — The General Border Committee (GBC) meeting for peace talks to resolve the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand will be held in Kuala Lumpur on August 5.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, who is also Madani Government spokesman, said the matter was raised at today’s Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Thailand requested that the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting be moved from Phnom Penh to Kuala Lumpur, and the matter will be handled by the Defence Ministry,” he told a press conference here today.
The GBC was originally to be convened on August 4 in Phnom Penh. A pre-GBC meeting has been scheduled in the federal capital on August 4 instead.
“Defence attachés from Asean countries, as well as from the US and China, will be invited (to both meetings),” Fahmi said.
He said the sessions would cover further negotiations and the formation of a monitoring team to be entrusted to Asean countries to ensure the ceasefire is implemented smoothly and effectively.
Fahmi added that Chief of the Defence Forces Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar said the ceasefire was among the quickest to reach, having only taken three days.
Tension between Cambodia and Thailand flared on July 24 with armed confrontations that resulted in deaths of soldiers and civilians.
The fighting ceased at midnight on Monday when the two nations agreed to the ceasefire at the request of Malaysia, the current Asean chair.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had briefed the Cabinet on his phone call with US President Donald Trump yesterday.
Trump reportedly expressed appreciation for Malaysia’s effective role in helping resolve the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.
