Written by EILEEN NG
Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur (AP) Even though the fate of 18 Cambodian troops who were detained by Thailand is still unknown, Thailand and Cambodia agreed Thursday to set up temporary observer teams to oversee a tenuous ceasefire that put an end to five days of deadly border skirmishes.
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After four days of discussions in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, the inaugural meeting of the General Border Committee came to an end. The main goal of the negotiations was to guarantee that the ceasefire mediated by Malaysia on July 28 would be fully implemented.
Fighting broke out on both sides of the Thai-Cambodian border after an aland mine explosion along the border injured five Thai soldiers, leaving dozens dead and over 260,000 displaced.
A joint statement from the committee states that, until a formal ASEAN observer mission is sent out, each nation would assemble its own temporary observer team, which will be led by Malaysia, the bloc’s annual chair and consist of defense officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The temporary teams will collaborate closely with local military authorities and operate inside their own borders.
Thailand’s Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Natthaphon Nakpanit and Cambodian Defense Minister Gen. Tea Seiha presided over Thursday’s main meeting. U.S. and Chinese officials were present as observers, as was Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
Following the meeting, U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan declared the outcome to be a significant turning point.
The United States considers this to be a significant step. But it’s crucial to understand that this is just a first step. He told reporters that the objective is a long-lasting, sustainable ceasefire that both parties can agree to and uphold. The U.S. will closely watch the truce with ASEAN and Malaysia, he said.
Following economic pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had threatened to withhold trade agreements with the warring nations if the fighting continued, a truce was reached on July 28. On August 1, Washington reduced the 36% tax to 19% on commodities from the two nations.
But tensions remained as each nation accused the other of breaking the accords and arranged for foreign ambassadors and other observers to tour the former war zones in order to draw attention to purported damage from the other side.
The two nations also persisted in accusing one another of using illicit weapons and attacking civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.
The problem of the 18 Cambodian troops who were taken prisoner mere hours after the ceasefire went into force persists despite both sides’ renewed pledges to end hostilities, stop military movement, and refrain from provocations. Although they were not specifically mentioned in the joint statement, it did emphasize that the prisoners should be freed and returned home as soon as hostilities have stopped. It didn t clarify iwhether this refers to a formal end to the conflict.
Thailand was accused by Cambodia of mistreating the guys who were taken prisoner. On Friday, two injured members of the 20-person Cambodian team were sent home.
However, Thai authorities referred to the group as prisoners of war and stated that they would only be released and sent home once the war was over.
The 18 inmates have received treatment that fully complies with international humanitarian law, according to a separate statement released by Thailand’s foreign ministry on Thursday. It stated that the prisoners were well and uninjured after being visited by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday at their detention center.
The 500-mile border between Thailand and Cambodia has already caused conflict. Since a Cambodian soldier was murdered in a clash in May that sparked a diplomatic rupture and shook Thailand’s domestic politics, tensions had been rising.
Associated Press reporter Grant Peck in Bangkok and Sopheng Cheang in Cambodia contributed to this report.
