KUALA LUMPUR: Foreign ministers from Southeast Asia convened in Malaysia on Monday in a bid to revive a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, following two weeks of intense border fighting that has left at least 60 people dead and forced more than half a million to flee their homes.
The meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aims to rescue a truce previously facilitated by ASEAN chair Malaysia and U.S. President Donald Trump after a July flare-up, which marked the worst violence between the neighbours in decades.
Senior diplomats from both Thailand and Cambodia attended the talks in Kuala Lumpur, marking their first direct engagement since hostilities resumed on December 8. Malaysia urged ASEAN to take a stronger and more decisive role in bringing the conflict to an end.
“It is my hope that this special meeting will renew our efforts for a return to stability in the affected areas. ASEAN must do whatever is necessary to maintain regional peace and stability,” Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said in his opening remarks.
“Our goal goes beyond de-escalating the tension. We must intensify trust-building among the conflicting parties and provide the horizons for dialogue despite the prevailing differences.”
HEAVY EXCHANGES OF FIRE
The renewed diplomatic push comes as both the United States and China conduct separate mediation efforts, though neither has yet delivered a breakthrough.
Thailand and Cambodia continue to trade blame for the collapse of the ceasefire and a strengthened truce reached in October in Malaysia in Trump’s presence. That agreement included commitments to demining operations and the withdrawal of troops and heavy weaponry.
Fighting has since erupted at several points along the 817-kilometre (508-mile) shared border, stretching from forested regions near Laos to coastal areas.
Cambodia’s defence ministry on Monday accused Thailand of further violations of its sovereignty through renewed “armed aggression” and said it would defend what it considers its territory “at any cost”.
Thailand, meanwhile, has alleged that Cambodia attempted to fire rockets at a border town over the weekend and said one of its soldiers lost a leg after stepping on a landmine. Bangkok has accused Phnom Penh of planting new mines in breach of international treaty obligations, a claim Cambodia denies.
ASEAN TEAM TO PRESENT CONFLICT FINDINGS
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he hoped the talks would allow both sides to engage frankly, resolve their disputes and reach a just and durable settlement.
“I emphasised the importance for Cambodia and Thailand to uphold the spirit of dialogue, wisdom and mutual respect in order to end the tensions and maintain peace and stability in this region,” Anwar said on X on Sunday, noting that he had spoken to both prime ministers.
Anwar said last week he was “cautiously optimistic” about the talks, adding that Thailand’s caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet were both “keen to achieve an amicable resolution as soon as possible”.
An ASEAN fact-finding team is expected to brief foreign ministers using on-ground assessments and satellite data supplied by the United States, Anwar said in a social media post.
Thailand has launched airstrikes on Cambodian military targets and suspended fuel deliveries through a border crossing in Laos, citing concerns that supplies were being rerouted to Cambodia.
The Thai army has also accused Cambodian forces of deploying drones to drop explosives on Thai bases and of firing rockets into civilian areas.
