Thailand, Cambodia agree to build on ceasefire in talks in China’s Yunnan

Countries conscionable for a 2nd time of negotiations aft a truce agreed connected Saturday to halt weeks of fighting.

Thailand and Cambodia ‍plan to rebuild ‍mutual spot and consolidate a ceasefire, Beijing says astatine the extremity of 2 days of talks successful southwestern China, contempt caller accusations from the Thai subject that its Cambodian counterparts are violating the truce with drone flights.

The overseas ministers of Thailand and Cambodia met with the Chinese overseas curate successful Yunnan state connected Monday for the scheduled 2 days of talks aimed astatine ending weeks of fierce fighting on their borderline that has killed much than 100 radical and displaced much than fractional a cardinal civilians successful some countries.

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The talks, billed arsenic a “mutual confidence” gathering inaugural aimed astatine restoring “peace, information and stability” on the border, were held aft some sides agreed to a ceasefire connected Saturday, freezing unit positions astatine their existent locations.

As portion of the deal, Thailand has agreed to instrumentality 18 captured Cambodian soldiers connected Tuesday if the ceasefire, which took effect astatine noon (05:00 GMT) connected Saturday, is afloat observed.

‘Positive direction’

Speaking to reporters aft the meeting, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said helium believed the parties were “moving successful a affirmative direction”.

“We haven’t resolved everything, but I deliberation we are making advancement successful the close direction, and we person to support up the momentum,” helium said.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, speaking to Cambodian authorities TVK, said helium believed the latest ceasefire would past and supply an situation for the neighbours to resoluteness their differences.

“We don’t privation to instrumentality to the past, which means that nary 1 wants to spot this warring happening again. Therefore, what is important is that this ceasefire is to beryllium imperishable and indispensable beryllium firmly respected and implemented.”

In a connection released by his ministry, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the discussions had been “beneficial and constructive and an important statement was reached”.

A associated communique released by China’s authoritative Xinhua quality bureau said Bangkok and Phnom Penh would “rebuild governmental communal trust, execute a turnaround successful relations and support determination peace”.

Thailand alleges violations

Despite the affirmative statements from the talks, Thailand’s subject connected Monday accused Cambodia of violating the ceasefire by flying hundreds of drones implicit its territory, informing it whitethorn reconsider the scheduled merchandise of the 18 Cambodian soldiers.

The Thai service said successful a connection that “more than 250” drones were detected “intruding into Thailand’s sovereign territory” connected Sunday night, calling the incidental a “provocation”, a “violation of measures aimed astatine reducing tensions” and inconsistent with Saturday’s agreement.

Thailand’s service “may request to reconsider its determination regarding the merchandise of 18 Cambodian soldiers, depending connected the concern and the behaviour observed”, the connection added.

In his remarks aired connected Cambodian authorities television, Sokhonn described the incidental arsenic “a tiny contented related to flying drones seen by some sides on the borderline line”, adding that the 2 countries had discussed it and agreed to analyse and “resolve it immediately”.

Border country deserted

Along with the pledge to instrumentality the Cambodian soldiers, the 2 sides besides agreed successful Saturday’s truce to cooperate connected demining efforts and combating cybercrime and to let civilians surviving successful borderline areas to instrumentality location arsenic soon arsenic possible.

An Al Jazeera squad has been capable to summation exclusive entree to 1 specified borderline country wherever Thai forces had precocious into Cambodian territory successful the borderline state of Banteay Meanchey.

Reporting from the border, Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig said the guns had fallen soundless since Saturday’s statement but the country remained littered with shrapnel and unexploded ordnance.

He said villages had been deserted by civilians and immoderate residents appeared to person tried to excavation their ain bunkers earlier the hostilities drew excessively adjacent and forced them to flee.

“People are acrophobic to instrumentality oregon travel adjacent to the border,” helium said.

Baig said that though the ceasefire was holding, determination has been nary solution yet to the deeper causes of the conflict, rooted successful territorial disputes on the neighbours’ 800km (500-mile) border.

“But the longer the guns stay silent, the greater the accidental this fragile calm tin crook into lasting peace,” helium said.