Cambodia signals readiness for swift talks to halt Thai border clashes
Cambodia has said it is prepared to sit down with Thailand “within the hour” for direct talks to halt fierce fighting along their shared frontier. Still, it insists Bangkok must also show goodwill before any dialogue can begin, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Tuesday (December 9).
Suos Yara, one of Hun Manet’s top advisers, told Reuters in a video interview from Phnom Penh that Cambodia was open to immediate bilateral discussions to stop the escalating border conflict.
“If both sides agreed to sit at the table one hour from now and start communicating, that would be an excellent outcome,” he said, speaking in English.
He stressed, however, that Phnom Penh would not be the one to trigger the process. “We need mutually agreed goodwill from both sides,” he said, adding that Cambodia would not unilaterally call for talks.
The comments came as both countries accused each other of breaching a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump and renewed exchanges of fire along much of their 817-kilometre (508-mile) land border.
Artillery and other heavy weapons were used for a second consecutive day on Tuesday after a truce agreed in July collapsed.
In just two days of the heaviest clashes since the previous round of fighting, at least 13 people have been killed, and several hundred thousand residents on both sides of the frontier have fled their homes.
Thailand’s foreign minister told Reuters in a separate interview on Tuesday that Cambodia must first demonstrate sincerity and take the initial step towards de-escalation, firmly rejecting any role for outside mediation.
The latest surge in violence has raised fresh questions over the durability of the Trump-brokered peace efforts.
Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim helped steer talks in July that halted an earlier flare-up, which had killed at least 48 people. The two leaders later attended the signing of an expanded truce agreement in October.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was closely watching the situation. “We strongly urge an immediate end to the fighting, the protection of civilians, and for both sides to resume de-escalatory measures,” he said in a statement.
Bangkok has repeatedly accused Phnom Penh of violating the October accord, including by laying new landmines along the frontier. Thailand withdrew from the truce last month after a landmine blast that severely injured one of its soldiers.
Cambodia has rejected the allegations and insists it is fully complying with the peace deal. However, expert analysis of material provided by the Thai military suggests that at least some mines recently discovered in the border zone are likely to have been newly planted, Reuters has reported.
“Landmines are not a justification for war,” Suos Yara said, arguing that the issue should be handled through dialogue rather than used to legitimise continued hostilities.
Thailand’s armed forces, which are significantly larger and better equipped than Cambodia’s, have pledged to severely degrade their neighbour’s military capacity.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Tuesday that the military had his government’s full support, ruling out talks while fighting continued.
Suos Yara described the confrontation as “a lose-lose game”, warning that neither side could emerge as a winner. Thailand and Cambodia would always remain neighbours, he said, adding: “We had better reach a consensus, because we are going to live side by side forever.”
Reuters
