Cambodia‑Thailand Border Talks Progress, Despite Recent Skirmishes
Phnom Penh – The Cambodian Ministry of Defence confirmed on Saturday that the two sides had reached an agreement on the draft joint statement from the third meeting of the Cambodia‑Thailand Special Border Committee, which was held last night with ASEAN observers in attendance.
Cease‑fire negotiations resumed today at about 9:40 a.m. local time at a checkpoint in Thailand’s Chanthaburi Province. If the talks conclude successfully, officials expect both governments to sign a cease‑fire declaration by noon, reports from Xinhua noted.
The cease‑fire talks come amid a flare‑up that followed Thailand’s air strikes on a disputed area along the border on Friday. The Thai Air Force said it had targeted a Cambodian “fortified military position” after civilians had vacated the zone. Cambodia’s defense ministry, meanwhile, accused the Thai forces of “indiscriminate attacks” on civilian homes, claiming several people were injured.
Violence had resumed earlier this month after a fragile truce that had been brokered in July collapsed. The cease‑fire had briefly halted five days of heavy clashes, but fighting reignited soon after, sending the border region back into conflict.
Since the breakdown of the truce, hostilities have spread across almost the entire 500‑mile (800‑km) frontier shared by the two countries. At least 41 people have died since the hostilities resumed, and nearly a million residents have been displaced. Both Bangkok and Phnom Penh have accused one another of violating the cease‑fire and sparking the latest escalation.
Cambodia’s defense ministry stated that the most recent air strikes occurred in the northwest province of Banteay Meanchey, with Thai F‑16 fighter jets reportedly dropping up to 40 bombs during the operation, according to a Facebook post. Thailand, however, said the strikes were aimed at regaining control over Nong Chan village and described the mission as “precise, effective and successful.”
The air action coincided with the start of a third consecutive day of talks between Thai and Cambodian representatives at the border checkpoint. Defense ministers from both sides are expected to join the negotiations on Saturday, raising hopes that progress toward de‑escalation can be achieved.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday that once the two sides accepted each other’s conditions, a cease‑fire agreement could be signed.
The border dispute dates back to colonial‑era demarcations made more than a century ago, and it has repeatedly flared into violence, leaving soldiers and civilians on both sides of the frontier injured or killed.
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