Thai, Cambodian Leaders Hold Ceasefire Talks In Malaysia

The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand met in Malaysia on Monday to negotiate a ceasefire on the fifth day of their intense border conflict, amid mounting international pressure to end the fighting, Huey Mun Leong and Danial Azhar reported for Reuters.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim proposed the talks shortly after the dispute erupted into open conflict. I Photo: Hun Manet Facebook

The two Southeast Asian neighbors, now embroiled in their deadliest military clash in over a decade, have accused each other of initiating last week’s fighting. The conflict has since escalated to heavy artillery exchanges and Thai air strikes along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) land border.

“The purpose of this meeting is to achieve an immediate ceasefire, initiated by President Donald Trump and agreed to by the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a post on X.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim proposed the talks shortly after the dispute erupted into open conflict on Thursday. Both the United States and China have offered assistance in the peace negotiations.

Tensions have been mounting since May, when a brief skirmish resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier. Since then, both countries have reinforced their border troops, triggering a full-blown diplomatic crisis.

The conflict has also placed enormous strain on Thailand’s fragile coalition government, bringing it to the brink of collapse.