Despite an American ceasefire proposal, the two countries in Southeast Asia continue to exchange artillery fire this Sunday, July 27 for the fourth day of conflict.
Thailand and Cambodia exchanged artillery fire for the fourth consecutive day this Sunday, July 27, while saying that they are ready to discuss a cease-fire as part of an American mediation.
The two kingdoms of Southeast Asia are engaged in the deadliest episode in almost fifteen years of a long-term territorial dispute. The exchanges of fire, bombing and air strikes left at least 33 dead and caused the movement of around 200,000 people.
The two camps, joined on Saturday by US President Donald Trump, said they wanted to start discussions, but in the early morning, the fights resumed, and each capital accused the other of missing his word.
Two attacked temples, according to Cambodia
A spokesperson for the Cambodian Ministry of Defense, Maly Socheata, said that Thailand had attacked at 4:50 am local time, 11:50 p.m. French time on Saturday, two temples disputed in the northwest, theater of the first clashes that occurred on Thursday morning.
Bangkok committed “deliberate and coordinated acts of assault,” she said in a statement, denouncing the “lies and false pretexts” of the Thai army to justify the “illegal invasion” of the Khmer territory.
The Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry spoke of the “heavy artillery fire” of the Cambodian army aimed at “civilians of civilians” in the province of Surin, around 04:30 am (9:30 p.m. GMT). “”
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, “said Thai diplomacy.
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 an area nicknamed “The Emerald Triangle” for its proximity to Laos.
American mediation
Donald Trump announced on Saturday, after exchanging with their leaders, that the two countries were ready to meet to reach a ceasefire. The American president welcomed two “very good conversations” and said that the two neighbors “will agree for many years”, in a message on his Truth Social network.
Bangkok said “accepting in principle to set up a ceasefire”, while waiting to see if Phnom Penh’s intention was “sincere”. Prime Minister Khmer Hun Manet welcomed a “good news for soldiers, and the people of the two countries”, and instructed his leader of diplomacy, Prak Sokhonn, to coordinate with his American counterpart Marco Rubio in order to “end” the conflict.
Before that, an attempted mediation under the aegis of Malaysia, which occupies the rotating presidency of the Association of Nations of Southeast Asia (ASEAN) whose two kingdoms are members, had not been followed by effect. Thailand and Cambodia are in full discussions with the White House about prohibitive customs duties which must strike these two economies dependent on exports on August 1.
Donald Trump said it was “inappropriate” to return to the negotiating table on the commercial aspect as long as the fights “have not stopped”. The United Nations also urged the two neighbors on Saturday to “immediately” conclude a ceasefire.
More than 130,000 Thai and 80,000 Cambodians evacuated
Diplomatic relations between the two neighbors, linked by rich cultural and economic ties, have been at the lowest for decades. The current episode killed 20 people on the Thai side, including seven soldiers, while Cambodia reported a balance sheet of 13 dead including five soldiers.
More than 138,000 Thai people 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 with Cambodia twice, in 1962 and 2013, on the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, and a surrounding area
