Cambodia-Thailand: Fourth day of fighting despite a cease-fire proposal

Thailand and Cambodia accuse each other of having opened hostilities on Sunday, on the fourth day of their conflict, while saying that they are ready to discuss a ceasefire, after the intervention of the American president, Donald Trump.

The two kingdoms of Southeast Asia are struggling with the deadliest episode in almost 15 years of a territorial dispute. The exchanges of fire, bombing and air strikes left at least 34 dead and caused the movement of around 200,000 people.

The two camps, joined on Saturday by the American president, Donald Trump, argued that he wanted to start discussions, but Sunday in the early morning, the fights resumed, and each capital accused the other of missing his word.

We rushed to leave our house this morningsaid to theAFP Maefah, 61, who lives around forty kilometers from the border, in the Thai province of Sisaket. She refused to give her surname for security reasons.

All my neighbors have already left. We no longer think it is sure to stayshe said. Accompanied by four family members, including his 97 -year -old mother, Maefah took the direction of Chachoengsao, not far from Bangkok, six o’clock.

Thailand and Cambodia reported clashes around 4:30 a.m. near disputed temples, where the former broke out on Thursday.

Bangkok a commis des deliberate and coordinated aggression actssaid the spokesperson for the Cambodian Defense Ministry, Maly Socheata, denouncing the Lies and false pretexts Thai people guilty ofillegal invasion in his eyes.

The Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry spoke of the Heavy artillery shots from the Cambodian army aimed at civilian houses in the province of Surin.

Any cessation of hostilities is impossible as long as Cambodia shows a blatant lack of good faith and continues to repeat the fundamental principles of human rights and humanitarian law.

The Thai army also accused Cambodia on Sunday of resorting to long -range weapons.

A ceasefire in sight?

In recent days, the conflict has spread on multiple fronts, sometimes far from several hundred kilometers between them, from the Thai province of Trat, popular with tourists, on the Gulf of Thailand to a nicknamed area The emerald triangle For its proximity to Laos.

US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday, after exchanging with their leaders, that the two countries were ready to meet to reach a ceasefire.

Mr. Trump praised two very good conversations And said the two neighbors will get along for many yearsin a message on its network Truth Social.

Bangkok A Dit In principle, accept to set up a ceasefirewhile waiting to see if Phnom Penh was sincere.

Prime Minister Khmer, Hun Manet, has instructed his leader of diplomacy, Prak Sokhonn, to coordinate with his American counterpart, Marco Rubio, with a view to end Conflict.

Thailand and Cambodia are in full discussions with the White House about prohibitive customs duties which must strike on August 1 these two economies dependent on exports.

Donald Trump said he was inappropriate to return to the negotiating table on the commercial aspect as long as the fights will not have stopped.

The United Nations also urged the two neighbors to conclude on Saturday immediately A ceasefire.

Low relations

Diplomatic relations between the two neighbors, linked by rich cultural and economic ties, have been at the lowest for decades.

The current episode killed 21 people in the Thai camp, including eight soldiers, while Cambodia reported a balance sheet of 13 dead, including five soldiers.

More than 138,000 Thai have evacuated risk areas, according to Bangkok, and more than 80,000 Cambodians on their side of the border, according to Phnom Penh.

The two countries dispute the layout of their common border, defined during French Indochina. Before the current fights, the most violent episode linked to this dispute dates back to clashes around the temple of Preah Vihear between 2008 and 2011, which had left at least 28 dead and tens of thousands of displaced.

The United Nations court agreed to Cambodia twice, in 1962 and 2013, as for the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple, listed as World HeritageUNESCOand a surrounding area.