As fighting between Thailand and Cambodia broke out just hours before scheduled ceasefire talks, clashes continue in various locations along the country’s disputed border.
In a bid to put an end to fighting that has resulted in at least 35 deaths and displaced more than 270, 000 from both sides of the border, leaders of the two conflicting Southeast Asian nations are scheduled to hold ceasefire talks in Malaysia on Monday at 7:00 GMT.
In Kuala Lumpur for a meeting, Thailand’s acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodia’s prime minister Hun Manet are scheduled to meet for discussions. China is also expected to accompany the United States in the discussions being pushed by Malaysia.
Hun stated in a post on X on Monday that the talks are intended to end Thailand’s conflict right away.
Before departing Bangkok on Monday, Phumtham said to reporters: “We do not believe Cambodia is acting in good faith, based on their actions in addressing the issue. We will assess their sincerity during the meeting by observing their intentions.
Gunfire could be heard in Samrong in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province at dawn, according to Thai army spokesman Colonel Richa Suksuwanon, who told reporters on Monday.
Thailand reported on Sunday that Cambodian rocket fire in Sisaket province resulted in one fatality and one other injury.
Cambodian snipers were camping in one of the disputed temples, according to Thailand’s military, and the country’s military accused Phnom Penh of firing rockets at Thai troops along the border.
On Monday, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense, Maly Socheata, claimed that Thailand had “a lot of troops” and fired “heavy weapons” into Cambodian territory.
Socheata claimed that the Thai military had attacked areas close to Cambodia’s ancient Ta Muen Thom and Ta Kwai temples, which Cambodia claims are its territories but are being disputed by Thailand, before dawn on Monday.
She claimed that Cambodian soldiers were able to “successfully repel the attacks” by the Thai military for firing smoke bombs from aircraft over Cambodian territory and heavy weapons at its soldiers.
The mediators have been “very reluctant” to acknowledge the halting of the talks in the Malaysian capital, according to Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, who is reporting from Surin, Thailand.
“The foreign ministry in Malaysia was very agitated. They claimed last week that Anwar Ibrahim had brokered a peace deal, but the Thai Foreign Ministry immediately rejected it, according to Cheng.
Cheng claimed that the leaders could have the “motivation” to end the crisis peacefully given the rising death toll and the number of internally displaced people.
Source: Aljazeera
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