Southeast Asian bloc meets to seek end to Thai-Cambodian conflict

Southeast Asia’s top diplomats met in Malaysia on Monday aimed at ending a deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that has killed at least 41 people and displaced nearly a million people.

They seek to restore a cease-fire deal brokered in July by Malaysia, which chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and US President Donald Trump.

It was the first meeting between Thai and Cambodian officials since fighting resumed on December 8. Both countries have blamed each other for the new hostilities.

conflict dating back more than a centuryAfter France occupied Cambodia, the two countries established a border.

In his opening remarks, Malaysia’s foreign minister asked both parties and other ASEAN members to “give us our most urgent attention.”

“We must consider the wider impact of the continued escalation on the people we serve,” Mohamed Hassan told peers, according to AFP.

Recent battles have seen Fighting along 800 kilometers (500 miles) border. Thailand also launched air strikes on Cambodian positions.

This is the most serious conflict among ASEAN member states since its establishment in 1967. The failure to contain the conflict dealt a serious blow to ASEAN’s credibility.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who co-chaired the signing of the July ceasefire agreement with Trump, said he was “cautiously optimistic” about Monday’s meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

“Our responsibility is to state the facts, but more importantly, to put pressure on them to do what they must to ensure peace,” he said last week.

Cambodia said the talks aimed to restore “peace, stability and good-neighborly relations”, adding that it would reiterate its position that disputes should be resolved through peaceful means.

Thailand called the meeting an important opportunity and reiterated the terms of the negotiations, including a ceasefire first announced by Cambodia and a “genuine and sustained” ceasefire.

The United States and China have also been trying to broker a new ceasefire.

U.S. Secretary of State Rubio spoke by phone with his Thai counterpart on Thursday, expressing hope that a new ceasefire agreement could be reached by Monday or Tuesday.

China’s special envoy for Asia Deng Xijun visited Phnom Penh last week. He reiterated that China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting dialogue between Cambodia and Thailand, a statement from Beijing said.

Additional reporting by BBC Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head