Thailand and Cambodia yesterday ended weeks of fierce border clashes with a second ceasefire in the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian nations.
The ceasefire was holding, Thai Ministry of Defense spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said about two hours after it went into effect at noon.
“So far there’s been no report of gunfire,” he said.
Photo: AKP via AP
The Cambodian Ministry of National Defense did not report any clashes after what it said had been a Thai airstrike earlier in the day, before the ceasefire announcement.
The agreement, signed by Thai Minister of Defense Natthaphon Narkphanit and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha, ended 20 days of fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides, and included fighter-jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages.
“Both sides agree to maintain current troop deployments without further movement,” the ministers said in a joint statement. “Any reinforcement would heighten tensions and negatively affect long-term efforts to resolve the situation.”
Cambodia’s top diplomat, Prak Sokhonn, and his Thai counterpart, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, are to meet with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) in China today and tomorrow to discuss the border situation, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a Thai official said.
The new ceasefire would be monitored by an observer team from the ASEAN bloc as well as direct coordination between both countries, Natthaphon said.
“At the same time, at the policy level, there will be direct communication between the minister of defense and chief of the armed forces of both sides,” he said.
An earlier ceasefire broke down this month, with each side accusing the other of moves that led to clashes. The new ceasefire came after a special meeting on Monday of ASEAN foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur, followed by three days of talks between the warring sides at a border checkpoint, where the two defense ministers met yesterday.
They agreed on the return of people displaced from affected border areas, while underlining that neither side would use any force against civilians.
Thailand would also return 18 Cambodian soldiers in its custody since the July clashes if the ceasefire is fully maintained for 72 hours, according to the agreement.
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