KUALA LUMPUR: Southeast Asian foreign ministers met on Monday (Dec 22) in Malaysia for crisis talks aimed at halting deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, which pressed on despite regional and international diplomacy.
Renewed fighting this month has killed at least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia, and displaced more than 900,000 on both sides, officials said.
Malaysia, which chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed hope that the talks in Kuala Lumpur would help achieve a lasting ceasefire between the two countries, both bloc members.
Speaking at the start of Monday’s meeting, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan urged the feuding neighbours and other ASEAN representatives to “give this matter our most urgent attention”.
“We must consider the wider ramifications of the continued escalation of the situation for the people we serve,” Mohamad said.
Last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said ASEAN’s duty “is to present the facts, but more importantly, to press upon them (Thailand and Cambodia) that it is imperative for them to secure peace”.
Thailand’s National Security Council secretary-general Chatchai Bangchuad on Monday acknowledged international efforts at the ASEAN meeting in Kuala Lumpur, but insisted “the process should be bilateral between Thailand and Cambodia”.
Meanwhile, Phnom Penh’s defence ministry said the fighting continued early on Monday with Thailand firing artillery shells into Cambodian territory, wounding one civilian.
The violence shattered a fragile truce reached after five days of clashes in July, mediated by the US, China and Malaysia.
In October, US President Donald Trump backed a follow-on declaration touting trade deals after they agreed to prolong the truce.
Source: CNA
