Peace should come back between Thailand and Cambodia after five days of deadly clashes on their border. The two countries, gathered through Malaysia, agreed to stop hostilities on Monday at midnight.
“Cambodia and Thailand have reached a common agreement providing for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, after three hours of discussions with his counterparts from the countries concerned.
Artillery shots
“This is a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security,” he assured journalists, alongside his Thai and Khmer counterparts.
During the press conference, AFP journalists present in Samraong, in the northwest of Cambodia, about twenty kilometers from the border, heard the noise of artillery fire.
More than 30 dead in clashes
The two kingdoms of Southeast Asia have been opposed for decades on the layout of their common border, defined in the time of French Indochina. Rarely, in modern history, such an episode of violence has shaken the region.
The clashes have officially killed 23 people on the Thai side, including nine soldiers, and 13 dead, including five soldiers, on the Cambodian side. More than 138,000 Thai people have evacuated risk areas, according to Bangkok, and more than 140,000 Cambodians have done the same, according to Phnom Penh.
Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of having attacked first, and each camp questioned the sincerity of the opponent, before sitting at the negotiating table, under the eye of the United States and China.
