Thailand, Cambodia agree unconditional ceasefire
Cross-border hostilities to end at midnight
KUALA LUMPUR/PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK -- Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an unconditional ceasefire in their five-day cross-border conflict over disputed ownership of temples and other territory that has killed at least 34 people and displaced more than 270,000.
After more than two hours of talks in Malaysia, hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai announced hostilities would end at midnight on Monday.
The other key points agreed were that military commanders from both sides will meet at 7 a.m. local time on Tuesday and there will be a meeting of the joint general border committee in Cambodia on Aug 4, Anwar announced at a press conference at his official residence in Putrajaya.
"As the current chair of ASEAN, Malaysia stands ready to coordinate an observer team to verify and ensure its implementation," Anwar said. "Malaysia will also consult with fellow ASEAN member states to participate in the observation effort, reflecting a regional commitment to supporting peace on the ground."
Hun Manet said: "Today’s meeting was productive, with very good outcomes. We hope this will lead to an immediate stop to the fighting that has resulted in loss of life, injuries, and the displacement of many people. We hope the solutions just announced by Prime Minister Anwar will create the conditions to move forward with bilateral discussions and to restore normal relations. It also provides a foundation for the de-escalation of military forces."
Phumtham said: "Today’s outcome reflects Thailand’s desire for a peaceful resolution, while also protecting our sovereignty and the lives of our people. We are committed to achieving peace through our own efforts, carried out sincerely and in good faith."
The neighboring kingdoms have been engaged in intense cross-border shelling and firing since Thursday as both lay claim to contested ancient temples and land along the boundary between the countries. Both governments blame each other for starting, and escalating, the conflict that has involved artillery, rocket launchers, fighter jets and small arms fire.
Ro Vannak, a Cambodian political analyst, said the ceasefire was possible only because of third-party intervention and would have been unlikely through bilateral mechanisms. He added that it would be important to see if Thailand's civilian government and military are on the same page when it comes to enforcing the ceasefire.
"We need to see the willingness on the Thai side because the real power is not with the elected government but with the military in the background," he said.
Dulyapak Preecharush, associate professor of Asian Studies at Thammasat University said it was "good news that the two countries have reached a peaceful solution, which is to cease fire by midnight of today.”
“And it’s quite positive for the Thai side, which wanted to put every problem to be discussed on the negotiating table again,” he added.
However, he said there was a risk that the two countries would continue to exchange fire until midnight “It’s still a challenge that we need to watch closely,” Dulyapak said.
Anwar, U.S. President Donald Trump and other governments have urged both sides to cease hostilities and find a lasting solution to the century-old dispute. The U.S. and Chinese ambassadors to Malaysia attended the negotiations.
Trump also said he would refuse to negotiate trade deals with the two countries until they cease the fighting. Cambodia and Thailand are facing 36% "reciprocal" tariffs for goods exports to the U.S., which are scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1.
Both governments accused each other of continuing attacks on Monday, hours before the talks were due to start.
Additional reporting by Eung Sea in Phnom Penh
Ananth Baliga and Eung Sea are contributing writers.