Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
26-12-2025
BANGKOK/ PHNOM PENH: Military officials from Thailand and Cambodia began talks on Wednesday, both countries said, days after the neighbors agreed to discuss resumption of a ceasefire after 16 days of fierce border clashes that have killed at least 86 people.
The talks come two days after a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur of Southeast Asian foreign ministers convened to try to salvage a truce first brokered by ASEAN chair Malaysia and US President Donald Trump after a previous round of clashes in July
Thai Defence Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri said Wednesday’s meeting of the General Border Committee would last three days and could pave the way for an agreement.
The talks were held at a border checkpoint towards the southern end of their 817-km (508 mile) frontier. “If the secretariat meeting goes smoothly and leads to an agreement, then there will be a meeting between the defense ministers of the two countries on December 27,” Surasant told reporters.
Cambodian defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said the talks began at 4.30 pm local time (0930 GMT), led by generals from both sides.
The meeting is the most significant step since fighting re-erupted and follows separate, unsuccessful efforts by Malaysia, China and the United States to bring the two countries to the table.
Cambodia and Thailand have each accused the other of aggression and violations of an enhanced ceasefire reached in October in Malaysia in Trump’s presence, during which they committed to demining and withdrawing troops and heavy weapons from areas over which sovereignty has been contested bitterly for decades.
In the run-up to Wednesday’s talks, Thailand and Cambodia have continued clashing, with both sides fighting at multiple points since early December, stretching from forested regions near Laos to the coastal provinces of the Gulf of Thailand.
At least 21 civilians have been in killed in Cambodia since the fighting, and more than half a million people displaced, according to national authorities. In Thailand, at least 65 people have lost their lives, with over 150,000 evacuated from their homes.
Cambodia’s defence ministry on Wednesday accused Thailand of using fighter jets to drop bombs in its border province of Banteay Meanchey, describing the actions as “brutal” and indiscriminate.
Thailand, on the other hand, said its neighbor continued to fire heavy weapons into civilian areas in Sa Kaeo province on Wednesday, prompting Thai troops to retaliate.
Thailand said on Tuesday it was halting implementation of a ceasefire pact with Cambodia a day after a landmine blast maimed a Thai soldier, posing the biggest test for a truce brokered by US President Donald Trump.
The Thai government has accused Cambodia of planting fresh landmines along a stretch of their disputed border, including a PMN-2 anti-personnel mine that injured four Thai soldiers on Monday, with one losing a foot in the explosion.
“The foreign ministry has filed a protest with Cambodia and if there is no further action or clarification, Thailand will consider revoking the declaration,” government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in a statement.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had told the defence ministry to suspend all agreements with Cambodia indefinitely, the spokesman added.
On Tuesday, Cambodia’s defence ministry denied having laid new landmines and urged Thailand to avoid patrols in old minefield areas. It was committed to working with Bangkok in line with an expanded truce deal struck in October, it added.
The United States is gathering more information on the incident, a State Department spokesperson told media, urging the neighbors to maintain stability and implement the deal. (Int’l News Desk)
