Thailand’s army has accused Cambodia of violating an hours-old truce, claiming that sporadic clashes continued despite an agreement to end the deadly fighting in the disputed border region between the two Southeast Asian countries. Thailand’s army spokesman, Winthai Suvaree, stated that Thai troops have retaliated appropriately and in “self-defense” as a deliberate violation of the agreement. Following peace talks in Malaysia, both Cambodia and Thailand agreed that an unconditional ceasefire would start at midnight on Monday to end the fighting in disputed zones along their 800km (500-mile) border. The ceasefire deal was set to see military commanders from both sides meet at 7am local time (00:00 GMT) on Tuesday, before a cross-border committee is convened in Cambodia to further ease tensions on August 4. However, a Thai army spokesman said that the meeting had been postponed with no new time set. In Cambodia’s Samraong city, an AFP journalist said the sound of blasts stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight on Monday, with the lull continuing until dawn. A joint statement from both countries, as well as Malaysia, which hosted the peace talks, said the ceasefire was a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security.
Thailand accuses Cambodia of ceasefire violations, but the truce remains in effect.
