Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire talks after Trump steps in, but border clashes persist

SURIN Thailand AP Thailand and Cambodia on Sunday signaled their readiness to negotiate an end to a deadly confines dispute following mediation efforts by U S President Donald Trump The fighting now in its fourth day has killed at least people and displaced more than Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and suggested he would not move forward with exchange agreements with either country if the hostilities continued He later announced both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire Both sides agree to discuss a ceasefire Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet reported Sunday his country agreed to pursue an immediate and unconditional ceasefire He commented Trump stated him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following Trump s conversation with Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai This is positive news for the soldiers and people of both countries Hun Manet explained in a announcement He reported he tasked his deputy Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn to coordinate next actions with U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio and to engage directly with Thailand s foreign minister to implement the ceasefire Thailand expressed cautious promotion Phumtham thanked Trump and declared that Thailand agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for sincere intention from Cambodia the Thai Foreign Ministry revealed Phumtam called for swift bilateral talks to discuss concrete approaches toward a peaceful resolution it announced Both sides blame the other for the clashes The fighting first flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the perimeter wounded five Thai soldiers Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its confines crossings with Cambodia Despite the diplomatic efforts fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested demarcation with both sides refusing to budge and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements Col Richa Suksowanont a Thai army deputy spokesperson reported Cambodian forces fired heavy artillery into Surin province including at civilian homes early Sunday He disclosed Cambodia also launched rocket attacks targeting the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both countries and other areas in a bid to reclaim territory secured by Thai troops Thai forces responded with long-range artillery to strike Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers Richa commented Trump s efforts to mediate was a separate matter The battlefield operations will continue and a ceasefire can only happen if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations he added Any cessation of hostilities cannot be reached while Cambodia is severely lacking in good faith and repeatedly violating the basic principles of human rights and humanitarian law Thailand s Foreign Ministry commented separately Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt Gen Maly Socheata accused Thai forces of escalating the violence with bombardment of Cambodian territory early Sunday followed by a large-scale incursion involving tanks and ground troops in multiple areas Such actions undermine all efforts toward peaceful resolution and expose Thailand s clear intent to escalate rather than de-escalate the conflict she mentioned Thailand on Sunday stated a new death of a soldier bringing the total number of fatalities to mostly civilians Cambodia noted people have been killed More than people in Thailand have evacuated to safe locations and over people fled from three Cambodian provinces A multitude of boundary villages are mostly deserted with several schools and hospitals shut Evacuees hope for a swift end to the fighting Pichayut Surasit an air-conditioning technician in Thailand stated the sudden outbreak of fighting meant leaving his work in Bangkok to return home to protect his family I didn t have the heart to continue with my work when I heard the news I needed to come back as soon as realizable but I had to wait until the evening he announced Now at a shelter in Surin housing particular evacuees Pichayut worries for his wife and twin daughters hoping the conflict will end soon so they can return to their home in Kap Choeng district one of the hardest hit by shelling Bualee Chanduang a local vendor who moved to the same shelter Thursday with her family and pet rabbit is counting on swift negotiations to end the violence I pray for God to help that both sides can agree to talk and end this war she explained The U N Safeguard Council has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations a regional bloc to mediate peace between the two members Human Rights Watch has condemned the communicated use of cluster munitions weapons banned by International law in populated areas and urged both governments to protect civilians The -kilometer -mile frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades but past confrontations have been limited and brief The latest tensions flared in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand s domestic politics Associated Press writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this record Sopheng Cheang published from Samrong Cambodia Source