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by IANS |
Kuala Lumpur, Dec 13 (IANS) Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday that Malaysia, as ASEAN chair, will convene a Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting soon on Cambodia-Thailand border tensions.
He noted that the meeting will assess the situation and support de-escalation measures.
The Prime Minister made the remarks on social media, saying he received a phone call from US President Donald Trump, during which they discussed the conflict, bilateral relations, and global issues of mutual concern.
During the phone conversation, Anwar said, he outlined Malaysia's role in urging both countries to exercise restraint and return to dialogue through bilateral channels and ASEAN mechanisms, Xinhua news agency reported.
Malaysia remains ready to support efforts to de-escalate the situation, protect civilians, and help restore regional stability, in line with ASEAN's spirit of good neighborliness, he said.
Thailand's caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said they held separate phone talks with Trump on Friday regarding their border conflict.
On the same day, Trump posted on social media that the two leaders had agreed to a ceasefire effective Friday evening.
Anutin told the press on Friday evening at the Government House that when briefing Trump on the border situation during the call, he said Cambodia was the first to violate the joint peace declaration by failing to withdraw its troops as agreed, which had resulted in casualties and property losses on the Thai side.
He said Thailand consequently launched countermeasures to safeguard the lives and property of its people. He stressed that for a new ceasefire to be reached, Cambodia must first pull back its forces and clear landmines along the border.
Hun Manet said he had a phone conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday, and a phone call with Trump on Friday.
"Cambodia has always been adhering to peaceful means for dispute resolutions, in accordance with the KL Joint Declaration," he said.
He suggested to both leaders that the militaries or agencies of the United States and Malaysia can use their information-gathering capabilities such as satellite imagery recorded during that time, as well as for the next 24 hours after that, to verify which side opened fire first.
Trump said Friday on social media that Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to go back to the original peace accord he brokered earlier this year with the help of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Following armed clashes in late July, the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict reignited on December 7 afternoon. Both sides accused each other of initiating the attack and confirmed casualties. At least 10 Cambodian civilians and 11 Thai soldiers were killed, with hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes.
Armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai forces erupted on July 24 along their border, resulting in hundreds of casualties. Both sides accused each other of violating international law.
A consensus was reached on August 7 on the details of a ceasefire, with both sides signing an agreement at the extraordinary meeting of the General Border Committee held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
On October 26, the two leaders signed a joint declaration on peace on the sidelines of the 47th Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in the Malaysian capital.
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