Southeast Asian foreign ministers meet in Malaysia on Monday, seeking to end border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that have killed at least 40 people and displaced more than half a million this month.
The ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will seek to revive a short-lived ceasefire brokered by Malaysia, this year’s ASEAN chair, and U.S. President Donald Trump.
ASEAN members Thailand and Cambodia are scheduled to attend the gathering in Kuala Lumpur, the first face-to-face meeting between the governments since the fighting resumed on Dec. 8.
Bangkok and Phnom Penh each accuse the other of moves that led to the breakdown of the July ceasefire and a wider October peace deal. Heavy exchanges of fire have occurred in many of the long-disputed areas along their 508 mile (817 km) land border, from forested inland areas near Laos to coastal provinces.
Malaysia PM ‘cautiously optimistic’
In addition to the regional push for peace, the U.S. and China have pursued separate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, with no signs of success so far.
The ASEAN meeting, chaired by Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, will consider steps ASEAN could take to help de-escalate the situation and end the fighting, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed hope that the meeting would enable Thailand and Cambodia to negotiate openly, resolve differences and achieve a fair and lasting solution.
“I emphasised the importance for Cambodia and Thailand to uphold the spirit of dialogue, wisdom and mutual respect in order to end the tensions and maintain peace and stability in this region,” Anwar shared on social media on Sunday, adding that he had spoken with both prime ministers.
He told reporters last week he was “cautiously optimistic” about the outcome of the meeting, adding that Thai caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian premier Hun Manet were both “keen to achieve an amicable resolution as soon as possible”.
An ASEAN team will present findings to the foreign ministers from its field observations and data captured by satellite-monitoring technology provided by the U.S., Anwar posted on social media.
Thailand has carried out airstrikes on Cambodian military positions and halted fuel shipments through a Laotian border checkpoint due to fears they were being diverted to Cambodia.
The Thai army said Cambodia had been using drones to drop bombs on Thai bases and firing rockets at civilian areas.
REUTERS
