Thai and Cambodian leaders to meet in Malaysia for talks to end deadly border dispute

BANGKOK AP Thai and Cambodian leaders will meet in Malaysia for talks to end hostilities a spokesperson for the Thai prime minister s office explained Sunday This comes following pressure from U S President Donald Trump to end a deadly confines dispute now in its fourth day which has killed at least people and displaced more than Jirayu Huangsap disclosed Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will attend Monday s talks in response to an invitation from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to discuss peace efforts in the region Anwar has been acting in his threshold as this year s chair of the -member Association of Southeast Asian Nations Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet late Sunday night on several social media platforms established his participation as well I will lead the Cambodian delegation to attend a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur hosted by Malaysia co-organized by the United States and with participation of China he noted China is a close ally of Cambodia and had early in the fighting urged the two nations to resolve their differences peacefully but Hun Manet s comment appeared to be the first mentioning a Chinese link to Monday s planned talks Trump posted on the Truth Social social framework Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and suggested he would not move forward with pact agreements with either country if the hostilities continued He later reported both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire Both sides agree to discuss a ceasefire Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced earlier Sunday his country agreed to pursue an immediate and unconditional ceasefire He announced Trump narrated him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following the U S president s conversation with Phumtham Phumtham thanked Trump and qualified Thailand s position saying it agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for sincere intention from Cambodia the Thai Foreign Ministry noted U S State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Sunday noted Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with the foreign ministers of both Thailand and Cambodia urging them to de-escalate tensions this instant and agree to a ceasefire Her declaration added that the U S is prepared to facilitate future discussions in order to ensure peace and stability between the two countries Each side blames the other for the clashes The fighting flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the edge wounded five Thai soldiers Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its margin crossings with Cambodia with an exception for migrant Cambodian workers returning home Despite the diplomatic efforts fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested confines with both sides refusing to budge and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements Col Richa Suksowanont a Thai army deputy spokesperson declared Cambodian forces fired heavy artillery into Surin province including at civilian homes early Sunday He mentioned Cambodia also launched rocket attacks targeting the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both countries and other areas in a bid to reclaim territory secured by Thai troops Thai forces responded with long-range artillery to strike Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers Battlefield operations will continue and a ceasefire can only happen if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations he added Cambodian attacks remain irregular and may constitute violations of rules of engagement posing further threat to dividing line communities announced the Thai military s daily summary of the fighting issued Sunday night The situation remains highly tense and it is anticipated that Cambodia may be preparing for a major military operation prior to entering negotiations it announced Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt Gen Maly Socheata accused Thai forces of escalating the violence with bombardment of Cambodian territory early Sunday followed by a large-scale incursion involving tanks and ground troops in multiple areas Such actions undermine all efforts toward peaceful resolution and expose Thailand s clear intent to escalate rather than de-escalate the conflict she revealed Thailand on Sunday disclosed a new death of a soldier bringing its total number of fatalities to mostly civilians Cambodia commented people have been killed though it was unclear if that included Lt Gen Duong Samnieng whose death in combat was stated Sunday More than people in Thailand have evacuated to safe locations and over people fled from three Cambodian provinces A great number of margin villages are mostly deserted with a multitude of schools and hospitals shut Evacuees hope for a swift end to the fighting Pichayut Surasit an air-conditioning technician in Thailand explained the sudden outbreak of fighting meant leaving his work in Bangkok to return home to protect his family I didn t have the heart to continue with my work when I heard the news I sought to come back as soon as viable but I had to wait until the evening he announced Now at a shelter in Surin housing various evacuees Pichayut worries for his wife and twin daughters hoping the conflict will end soon so they can return to their home in Kap Choeng district one of the hardest hit by shelling Bualee Chanduang a local vendor who moved to the same shelter Thursday with her family and pet rabbit is counting on swift negotiations to end the violence I pray for God to help so that both sides can agree to talk and end this war she announced At the Vatican Pope Leo XIV explained he was praying for all those affected by war in the world including for those affected by the clashes on the dividing line between Thailand and Cambodia especially the children and displaced families The -kilometer -mile frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades but past confrontations have been limited and brief The latest tensions erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand s domestic politics Cheang published from Samrong Cambodia Associated Press writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this assessment Source