Kuala Lumpur (TDI): Foreign ministers from Southeast Asia gathered in Kuala Lumpur on Monday in an urgent effort to revive a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, following nearly two weeks of intense border fighting that has left at least 60 people dead and forced more than 500,000 others from their homes.
The meeting, convened under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), aims to rescue a truce earlier facilitated by the bloc’s chair, Malaysia, with backing from US President Donald Trump, after a previous flare-up along the disputed border in July. However, renewed clashes since December 8 have undone earlier progress.
Top diplomats from both Thailand and Cambodia attended the talks, marking their first direct, in-person engagement since hostilities resumed. Malaysia urged ASEAN members to take a stronger and more decisive role in containing the conflict and preventing further escalation.
Opening the meeting, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said the objective was not only to reduce tensions but to restore lasting stability in affected border areas. He stressed that ASEAN must act firmly to preserve regional peace, adding that rebuilding trust and sustaining dialogue between the two sides were essential despite deep-seated disagreements.
The diplomatic push comes amid parallel efforts by China and the United States to mediate an end to the fighting, though neither track has yet produced a breakthrough.
Bangkok and Phnom Penh continue to trade accusations, each blaming the other for provoking the collapse of both the July truce and an enhanced ceasefire reached in October in Malaysia. That earlier agreement included commitments to demining operations and the pullback of troops and heavy weaponry.
Read More: Thailand Rejects Trump Ceasefire Claim, Vows to Keep Fighting Cambodia
Fighting has since erupted at several points along the 817-kilometre shared border, stretching from densely forested regions near Laos to coastal areas. Cambodia’s defense ministry on Monday accused Thailand of further violations of its sovereignty, describing the incidents as armed aggression and pledging to defend what it called Cambodian territory “at any cost.”
Thailand, for its part, claimed Cambodian forces had attempted rocket attacks on a border town and said one of its soldiers lost a leg after stepping on a landmine. Bangkok has accused Phnom Penh of planting new mines in breach of international conventions, a charge Cambodia has firmly denied.
The Thai military has conducted airstrikes against what it described as Cambodian military targets and has suspended fuel shipments through a Laotian border crossing, citing concerns that supplies were being redirected to Cambodia. Thai officials have also alleged that Cambodian forces used drones to drop explosives on Thai positions and fired rockets into civilian areas.
Read More: Why Thailand-Cambodia Border Clashes Keep Resurfacing?
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he hoped the Kuala Lumpur meeting would provide a platform for frank negotiations and help both sides reach a just and durable settlement. Writing on social media on Sunday, he said he had spoken with the leaders of both countries and underscored the need for dialogue, restraint and mutual respect to restore calm in the region.
Anwar added that he remained cautiously optimistic, noting that Thailand’s caretaker prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had both expressed a desire for a swift and amicable resolution.
He also said an ASEAN assessment team would brief foreign ministers on its findings from the ground, including information gathered through satellite-monitoring technology supplied by the United States, to help inform next steps toward de-escalation.
