US and Malaysia work to expand Thai-Cambodia ceasefire in advance of ASEAN summit

Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamad Hasan

Malaysia and the U.S. are facilitating efforts to secure an expanded ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia that they hope will be signed during a Southeast Asian summit later this month, Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said yesterday.

Thailand and Cambodia engaged in five days of combat in late July that killed dozens of people and displaced more than 260,000. They agreed to a ceasefire only after mediation by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless they agreed on a truce.

Tensions have remained high since the truce, particularly after Thai soldiers were injured by land mines in August while patrolling a buffer zone between the countries. Thailand accused Cambodia of laying new mines in violation of the ceasefire, which the government in Phnom Penh has strongly denied.

Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said Phnom Penh must accept four conditions. They include removal of heavy weapons from the border, land mine clearance, assistance to curb cross-border crime and managment of sensitive border zones to avoid further conflicts.

Mohamad said ongoing negotiations aim to broaden the ceasefire to include land mine clearance and withdrawal of heavy weapons. He expressed optimism that an agreement could be signed during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit Oct. 26-28, which is expected to draw some two dozen global leaders.

Trump is scheduled to attend the conference in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Oct. 26 and hopes to witness the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Accord between Thailand and Cambodia, Mohamad said.

ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. MDT/AP