Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire in a significant breakthrough to resolve deadly border clashes that entered a fifth day, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday.
Anwar, who chaired the talks as head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc, said both sides have reached a common understanding to take steps to return to normalcy following what he called frank discussions.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai have reached an agreement for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” starting from midnight local time on Tuesday, as announced by Anwar during the reading of their joint statement.
Thai evacuees echoed the sentiment.
“I beg the government. I want it to end quickly,” said farmer Nakorn Jomkamsing at an evacuation camp in Surin hosting more than 6000 people. “I want to live peacefully. I miss my home, my pets, my pigs, dogs and chicken,” the 63-year-old woman said.
The 800-kilometre frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The latest tensions erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand’s domestic politics.
