📢 This weekend, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet gave a thumbs-up to a ceasefire plan proposed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia and the United States dial up diplomatic efforts to cool the heated border clash with Thailand. 🤝
In a social media post on Saturday, Hun Manet said Cambodia agrees to the ceasefire starting at 10 p.m. on December 13, to be monitored by an ASEAN observer team with U.S. participation.
Earlier today, Anwar told both sides he was “seriously concerned” about the escalating violence and urged them to halt hostilities immediately. Malaysia, currently chairing ASEAN, will host a Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting soon to plan next steps for de-escalation.
Key points:
- 📞 Anwar spoke with leaders of Cambodia and Thailand, and even got on the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump to push for dialogue.
- ✈️ Despite talks, Thai media reported F-16 strikes near Cambodia's Pursat Province, hitting a hotel and two bridges.
- ⚠️ Cambodia says 11 civilians have died, 59 wounded, and over 303,000 people displaced across five provinces.
The border clashes began on December 7, and both sides accuse each other of firing first. This follows earlier flare-ups this year: a July confrontation that injured hundreds and sent over 100,000 people fleeing.
Peace efforts showed promise in August when both sides agreed in Kuala Lumpur to keep troop deployments stable, and again in October on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit. Now, all eyes are on the upcoming ministerial meeting to see if the latest ceasefire holds. 🌍✌️
Stay tuned as ASEAN, Malaysia, and the U.S. work to bring calm back to the Thai-Cambodian border.
Reference(s):
Cambodia welcomes ceasefire proposal as Malaysia, U.S. mediate
cgtn.com
