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

At the conclusion of two days of talks in southwest China, Thailand and Cambodia announce a plan to rekindle mutual trust and strengthen a ceasefire, according to Beijing, despite fresh allegations from the Thai military that their Cambodian counterparts are violating the truce with drone flights.

For the two days of talks scheduled for Monday between the Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers and the Chinese foreign minister in Yunnan province, which aim to end weeks of bloody fighting along their border, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people and displaced more than half a million civilians.

After both sides agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday, freezing troop positions at their current locations, the talks, which are billed as a “mutual confidence” building initiative aimed at restoring “peace, security, and stability” along the border.

If the ceasefire, which ended at noon (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, is fully observed, Thailand has agreed to return 18 Cambodian soldiers who were captured as part of the deal.

“Positive direction”

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow expressed his confidence in the parties’ “movement in a positive direction” in a statement released following the meeting.

He said, “We haven’t resolved everything, but I believe we are moving in the right direction and must continue to build momentum.”

Prak Sokhonn, the country’s foreign minister, claimed in a statement to Cambodian state TVK that he hoped the most recent ceasefire would last and create a forum for the neighbors to unify.

No one wants to see this conflict occurring again because we don’t want to go back to the past. Therefore, it is crucial that this ceasefire be put into effect and be firmly enforced.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi claimed that the discussions had been “beneficial and constructive and an important consensus was reached” in a statement released by his ministry.

Bangkok and Phnom Penh would “rebuild political mutual trust, achieve a turnaround in relations, and maintain regional peace,” according to a joint statement from China’s official Xinhua news agency.

Thailand makes allegations of violations

Thailand’s military accused Cambodia of violating the ceasefire by flying hundreds of drones over its territory on Monday, warning that it may reconsider the 18 Cambodian soldiers’ scheduled release.

More than 250 drones were “intruding into Thailand’s sovereign territory” on Sunday night, according to a statement from the Thai army, calling the incident a “provocation” and a “violation of measures aimed at reducing tensions” and incompatible with Saturday’s agreement.

According to the circumstances and the behavior that were observed, Thailand’s army may need to reconsider its decision to release 18 Cambodian soldiers, according to the statement.

Sokhonn described the incident as “a small issue related to flying drones seen by both sides along the border line,” adding that the two nations had discussed it and agreed to investigate and “resolve it immediately.”

Deserted border area

In addition to agreeing to return Cambodian soldiers, the two sides also agreed to work together to combat cybercrime, defuse illegal immigration, and allow civilians who live in border regions to flee as soon as possible.

In the border province of Banteay Meanchey, where Thai forces had advanced into Cambodian territory, an Al Jazeera team was able to gain exclusive access to one of these border areas.

According to Assed Baig, who spoke from the border, the area is still rife with shrapnel and unexploded weapons despite the agreement’s passage on Saturday.

He claimed that some residents appeared to have tried digging their own bunkers before the hostilities drew too close and forced them to flee because some villages had been deserted by civilians.

He claimed that “people are afraid to cross the border again or to approach it.”

Although the ceasefire was in effect, according to Baig, there hasn’t yet been a resolution to the conflict’s deeper root causes, which are rooted in territorial disputes along the 800-kilometer (500-mile) border.