Thailand and Cambodia hold peace talks in Malaysia

2025-07-27 18:14:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia will attend mediation talks on their deadly border conflict to be held in Malaysia on Monday, the Thai government said, even as both sides accused each other of launching fresh artillery attacks in disputed areas.

The talks are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time on Monday, with acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai leading the Thai negotiating team, the government announced in a statement.

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.

Monday's talks come after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last week proposed a ceasefire and US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the two leaders had agreed to work towards a ceasefire.

Bangkok and Phnom Penh have accused the other side of causing last week's hostilities.

Cambodia's Defense Ministry said Thailand had bombed and launched ground attacks on Sunday morning at a number of points along the border.

"For me, I think it's very good if Thailand agrees to stop the fighting so that the two countries can live in peace," Phnom Penh University student Sreung Nita told Reuters.

The Thai military said Cambodian forces had fired in several areas, including near civilian homes, on Sunday, and were mobilizing long-range rocket launchers.

"The situation remains tense and Cambodian troops may be preparing intensified military operations to inflict maximum damage in the final stages before negotiations," the military said in an update.

A government health clinic about 10km from the border had broken windows, collapsed walls and exposed electrical wiring. Local media reported that it was hit by artillery on Saturday, two days after the building and surrounding neighbourhood were evacuated.

"It's very good that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace," Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan told Reuters.

Thailand and Cambodia have been feuding for decades over unmarked points along their 817km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient 11th-century Hindu temples of Ta Moan Thom and Preah Vihear at the center of the dispute.

Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but the situation deteriorated in 2008 after Cambodia tried to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Clashes over several years resulted in at least a dozen deaths.

Cambodia said in June it had asked the International Court of Justice to resolve its disputes with Thailand. Bangkok says it has never recognized the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach./ CNA