Thailand-Cambodia Ceasefire on ASEAN Agenda
The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to address the ongoing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, which escalated into deadly clashes two weeks ago.
The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to address the ongoing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, which escalated into deadly clashes two weeks ago.
This meeting marks the second high-level ASEAN session this year aimed at reducing tensions between the two member states.
In his opening remarks, Malaysian Foreign Minister Muhammad Hassan called on Thailand and Cambodia to fully and effectively implement the existing ceasefire agreement, expressing hope that the meeting would revive efforts to restore stability. Hassan emphasized that ASEAN must take all necessary measures to maintain regional peace, noting that the goal goes beyond merely easing tensions. He also stressed the need to strengthen confidence-building measures between Thailand and Cambodia.
Recent fighting undermined the ceasefire brokered in July by Malaysian mediation and direct pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, which ended five days of clashes. At that time, Trump had threatened to suspend trade privileges if the two countries did not reach an agreement and later reaffirmed the arrangement during a regional summit hosted by Malaysia in October.
The renewed clashes have raised international concern. On Sunday, the U.S. State Department called on both Thailand and Cambodia to “end hostilities, withdraw heavy weapons, halt landmine deployment, and fully implement the Kuala Lumpur peace agreements, including mechanisms to accelerate humanitarian demining and address border issues.”
Thailand and Cambodia have had a decades-long dispute along their 817-kilometer shared border, protected by barbed wire, which has led to deadly clashes in recent months, including incidents on May 28 and July 24.