Thailand and Cambodia reach ceasefire agreement after five days of clashes
The leaders of both countries held a meeting in Kuala Lumpur with the President of Malaysia and the US and Chinese ambassadors.
BarcelonaThe prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia, Phumtham Wechayachai and Hun Manet, agreed this Monday in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire starting tonight at midnight to end the conflict. five days of clashes on the borderThe conflict has been the most violent between the two countries in more than a decade and has already left 35 dead, 22 on the Thai side and 13 on the Cambodian side, most of them civilians.
Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia and Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to which both Bangkok and Phnom Penh belong, has affirmed that the talks have been positive and have concluded with an agreement to restore peace and security in the border areas, of which 0. last week, on both sides.
Since the clashes began, China and the United States have offered to mediate between Thailand and Cambodia. It was just hours after US President Donald Trump explained that he had held calls with the leaders of both nations and threatened to cut them off from trade agreements that the meeting was held in the presence of the Chinese and US ambassadors to Malaysia, Ouyang Yujing and Edgard D. Kagan.
Phnom Penh's Phumtham Wechayachai and Hun Manet expressed their gratitude for the mediation of both powers and expressed hope that the agreement will serve to reestablish diplomatic channels between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, which recalled their respective ambassadors for consultations during the five days of attacks. To promote de-escalation, at least two bilateral meetings will be held, the first of which will be held on Tuesday between the military leaders.
A conflict that has been going on for decades
The death of a Cambodian soldier in late May led to weeks of tension in the border regions of Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, and Burma, and heavy artillery attacks finally erupted on July 24. The two countries have a long-standing territorial dispute over sovereignty over certain areas of their shared border, dating back to Cambodia's time as a French colony.
From day one, the conflict was referred to the United Nations Security Council, which held a meeting in New York on Friday that only served to prompt various states to call for peace. Phnom Penh also escalated the dispute to the International Court of Justice in June, while Bangkok was pushing for a bilateral agreement, as has now happened.
