The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia are set to meet in Malaysia for talks aimed at resolving a deadly border dispute, even as both sides accuse one another of new artillery attacks in contested areas.
Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will lead Bangkok’s delegation on Monday in the mediation effort. The talks are scheduled to begin at 3pm local time (07:00 GMT).
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is also expected to attend, Malaysian authorities confirmed. Kuala Lumpur currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, and has offered to mediate the crisis, which has left several soldiers dead in recent weeks.
Tensions escalated after both nations exchanged fire along the disputed stretch of their shared border, prompting international concern. Last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim proposed a ceasefire to both parties.
Speaking to reporters in Scotland on Sunday, United States President Donald Trump said he warned both countries that future trade agreements with Washington would be suspended if hostilities continue.
“I spoke to both of the prime ministers, and I think by the time I got off [the phone], I think they want to settle now,” Trump said during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry.
He added he believed the talks in Malaysia marked a step toward de-escalation.
Cambodia and Thailand have traded accusations of artillery attacks in the hours since Trump said both countries had agreed to hash out a ceasefire.
The attacks on Sunday came after both sides said they were willing to start talks to end the fighting over their border dispute after Trump spoke to their leaders late on Saturday.
Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia.
Article source: aljazeera.com
