Cambodia and Thailand in Fragile Ceasefire (Malaysia)
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Malaysia played an instrumental role in mediating a ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand. Nevertheless, tensions remain high, with Thailand alleging that Cambodia has breached the terms of the accord.
The Guardian reports, “The neighbours agreed a ceasefire starting Tuesday after five days of clashes killed at least 43 people on both sides, as a longstanding dispute over contested border regions boiled over into open combat across the 800km frontier.”
However, Thailand’s Foreign Minister stated that Thai armed forces in Sisaket Province “came under attack by small arms fire and grenade assaults launched by Cambodian forces.” The offensive reportedly continued until Wednesday morning, after the ceasefire had already come into effect.
A gradual calm eventually returned to most of the border areas affected by the fighting. However, this followed strong criticism from Thailand, which accused Cambodia of making “a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust.”
On Monday, the Independent reported, “Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who mediated the ceasefire talks between Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thai acting premier Phumtham Wechayachai, said the truce would take effect at midnight on Tuesday.”
The military skirmishes that have occurred since the ceasefire underscore the fragile nature of relations between Cambodia and Thailand.
Hun Manet said, “We hope that the solutions that Prime Minister Anwar just announced will set a condition for moving forward for our bilateral discussion to return to normalcy of the relationship and as a foundation for future de-escalation of forces.”
The Independent reports, “Mr Anwar, current chair of the ASEAN regional bloc, facilitated the dialogue to which Washington and Beijing sent envoys.”
The BBC reports, “The dispute between the two countries dates back to more than 100 years ago, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.”
It is hoped that Malaysia’s mediation will succeed despite initial minor military skirmishes between Cambodia and Thailand since the ceasefire was announced, as efforts toward de-escalation continue.
CNN reports, “Malaysia is prepared to deploy a team to ‘ensure implementation and observation’ of the ceasefire, Anwar said, adding that both Thailand and Cambodia will resume direct communication at the level of prime ministers, foreign ministers and defense ministers.”
There is hope that the fragile ceasefire will evolve into full compliance and a renewal of constructive ties between Cambodia and Thailand.
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