Thailand and Cambodia agree to meet amid renewed cross-border fighting

Planned talks travel arsenic Southeast Asian leaders impulse some countries to amusement ‘maximum restraint’ and instrumentality to dialogue.

Thailand and Cambodia person agreed to clasp a gathering of defence officials aboriginal this week arsenic determination leaders propulsion for an extremity to deadly unit on the 2 countries’ shared border.

Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow announced the planned talks connected Monday aft a peculiar gathering successful Kuala Lumpur of Southeast Asian overseas ministers, who were trying to salvage a ceasefire.

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That truce was archetypal brokered by Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) seat Malaysia and United States President Donald Trump aft cross-border warring broke retired successful July.

Sihasak told reporters that this week’s discussions would beryllium held connected Wednesday successful Thailand’s Chanthaburi, wrong the model of an existing bilateral borderline committee.

But conscionable hours aft the determination situation talks were held successful Malaysia, Cambodia’s Ministry of Defence said the Thai subject deployed combatant jets to weaponry areas of Siem Reap and Preah Vihear provinces.

The Thai service said Cambodia had fired dozens of rockets into Thailand, with Bangkok’s aerial unit responding with aerial strikes connected 2 Cambodian subject targets.

Thailand and Cambodia person engaged successful regular exchanges of rocket and artillery occurrence on their 817km (508-mile) onshore borderline pursuing the illness of the truce, with warring astatine aggregate points stretching from forested regions adjacent Laos to the coastal provinces of the Gulf of Thailand.

Despite the cross-border fire, Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior said it remains “optimistic that the Thai broadside volition show sincerity” successful implementing a ceasefire.

Thailand’s Sihasak, however, cautioned that the upcoming gathering whitethorn not instantly nutrient a truce. “Our presumption is simply a ceasefire does not travel with an announcement, but indispensable travel from actions,” helium said.

His ministry said the 2 nations’ militaries would “discuss implementation, related steps and verification of the ceasefire successful detail”.

The planned gathering comes arsenic ASEAN connected Monday urged some countries to amusement “maximum restraint and instrumentality contiguous steps towards the cessation of each forms of hostilities”.

In a connection aft the talks successful Kuala Lumpur, ASEAN besides called connected some Thailand and Cambodia to “restore communal spot and confidence, and to instrumentality to dialogue”.

ASEAN members besides reiterated their concerns implicit the ongoing struggle and “called upon some parties to guarantee that civilians residing successful the affected borderline areas are capable to return, without obstruction and successful information and dignity, to their homes”.