Desk Report,
‘Agreed’ to ceasefire talks, but exchange of fire on Thailand-Cambodia border
Thailand and Cambodia exchanged gunfire for a fourth day on Sunday, despite the prospect of ceasefire talks, as fighting continued, AFP reporters and the Cambodian defence ministry said.
‘Agreed’ to ceasefire talks, but exchange of fire on Thailand-Cambodia border
AFP journalists in the Cambodian town of Samrong heard regular gunfire since dawn. The town is about 20 kilometres from the site of the clash.
A spokesman for the Cambodian defence ministry also said the fighting began at around 4.50am near two disputed temples. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand had agreed to hold immediate ceasefire talks.
Earlier on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand had agreed to hold immediate ceasefire talks.
Welcoming Trump’s efforts, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said today that his country is interested in negotiating a ceasefire to end the ongoing border conflict with Thailand.
Hun Sen also said that his country’s foreign minister will speak to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and coordinate with the Thai government. However, he warned that Bangkok should not break any agreements.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said that he had spoken to the leaders of the two countries to stop the ongoing conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Trump was on a visit to Scotland that day. On Truth Social, he wrote, “Just spoke with the Prime Minister of Cambodia about ending the war with Thailand.” Later, in another post, the US president wrote, “Just spoke with the acting Prime Minister of Thailand. It was a very good conversation. Like Cambodia, Thailand also wants a quick ceasefire.’
The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is more than a century old. Tensions over this issue flared up again in May. As a result, the two countries began exchanging attacks on Thursday. At least 32 people from both countries have been killed in the ongoing conflict as of Saturday. 175,000 people from both countries have been displaced from the border area.
In that post, Trump also wrote, ‘I am sending this message (from the acting Prime Minister of Thailand) back to the Prime Minister of Cambodia. After speaking with both sides, it seems that a ceasefire, peace and prosperity are normal. We will see that soon.’ Trump indicated that the US trade agreement with the two countries will not progress unless the fighting stops.
According to a Reuters report, Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechaiachai thanked President Trump. In a post on social media Facebook, he said that Thailand “agrees in principle to a ceasefire. However, they “want to see a sincere attitude from Cambodia.” The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is more than a century old. Tensions over this issue arose again last May. In continuation of this, the two countries started exchanging attacks on Thursday. At least 32 people from both countries have been killed in the ongoing conflict as of Saturday. 175,000 people from both countries have been displaced from the border area.
The United Nations Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Friday on the Thailand-Cambodia conflict. Cambodian Ambassador to the United Nations Chea Kaew called for an immediate ceasefire.
