Malaysia and the US are facilitating efforts to secure an expanded ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia that they hope will be signed during a Southeast Asian summit later this month, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Tuesday.
Thailand and Cambodia engaged in five days of combat in late July that killed dozens of people and displaced more than 260,000. They agreed to a ceasefire only after mediation by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and pressure from US President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless they agreed on a truce. Tensions have remained high since the truce, particularly after Thai soldiers were injured by land mines in August while patrolling a buffer zone between the countries. Thailand accused Cambodia of laying new mines in violation of the ceasefire, which the Government in Phnom Penh has strongly denied.
Thailand’s PM Anutin has said Phnom Penh must accept four conditions. They include removal of heavy weapons from the border, land mine clearance, assistance to curb cross-border crime and management of sensitive border zones to avoid further conflicts.
