BANGKOK, Thailand – Thai and Cambodian leaders on Monday agreed to an “unconditional” ceasefire that would end five days of fierce fighting in a disputed border area that has killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 200,000 others.
The truce, which is scheduled to take effect at midnight local time, came during negotiations hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the current chair of the ASEAN regional bloc. The meeting came amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned over the weekend that the border conflict could stall U.S. trade deals with both countries.
As part of the ceasefire, Cambodian and Thai military commanders will kick off talks on Tuesday to reduce tensions. The deal also sets an Aug. 4 meeting for the General Border Committee hosted by Cambodia and requires the foreign and defense ministers of Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia to develop mechanisms to implement and monitor the truce.
At a press conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Vejjayachai of Thailand shook hands and hailed the outcome.
“Today we have a very good meeting and very good results … that hope to stop immediately the fighting that has caused many lives lost, injuries, and also caused the displacement of people,” said Hun Manet, who offered thanks to Trump and China, which had also urged an end to hostilities and offered its assistance.
Phumtham said the deal would be “carried out successfully in good faith by both sides.”
Thailand has said nine of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed. Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths, according to Agence France-Presse.
Images from makeshift evacuation centers on both sides of the border showed crowds of displaced residents queueing for food and sleeping in tents or temporary shelters.
Long-simmering tensions between the two countries over their shared border spiked after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a disputed area on May 28. Weeks of accusations and political jousting followed, culminating in Thailand expelling the Cambodian ambassador and recalling its own envoy on July 23, then armed clashes erupting on July 24.
Includes reporting by RFA Khmer and Pimuk Rakkanam for RFA, as well as Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, and Reuters.
