Thailand and Cambodia are set to attend mediation talks over their deadly border conflict in Malaysia on Monday, with acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai leading the Thai negotiating team. The talks come after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim proposed a ceasefire last week and U.S. President Donald Trump said that the two leaders had agreed to work on a ceasefire. Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the late-May killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief border skirmish. Border troops on both sides were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand’s fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.
The death toll has risen above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia, while authorities report that more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas. In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling throughout Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on. A government health clinic about 10 km (6 miles) from the border had shattered windows, collapsed walls, and exposed wiring.
Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Cambodia said in June it had asked the International Court of Justice to resolve its disputes with Thailand, but Bangkok says it has never recognized the court’s jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.
