Phnom Penh, Dec 27 (IANS) The Cambodian Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that it reached consensus with Thailand on the content of the draft Joint Statement of the third Special Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee meeting on Friday night, with the participation of ASEAN observers.
Ceasefire talks between Thailand and Cambodia began at around 9:40 a.m. local time on Saturday at a border checkpoint in Thailand’s Chanthaburi Province.
If an agreement is reached, the two sides are expected to sign a ceasefire declaration at noon, according to media reports, Xinhua news agency reported.
Thailand carried out air strikes on a disputed border area with Cambodia on Friday, as officials from both sides continued talks to try to end fighting.
The Thai Air Force said it had hit a Cambodian “fortified military position” after civilians had left the area. Cambodia’s defence ministry accused Thailand of “indiscriminate attacks” against civilian houses and injuring several people.
Fresh violence erupted earlier this month after a fragile ceasefire reached in July collapsed. That truce had temporarily stopped five days of heavy clashes, but fighting resumed soon after, plunging the border region back into conflict.
According to estimates, at least 41 people have lost their lives since hostilities restarted, while nearly one million residents have been forced to flee their homes. Both Bangkok and Phnom Penh have accused each other of violating the ceasefire and triggering the latest escalation.
Since the breakdown of the truce, the fighting has expanded to cover almost the entire 500-mile (800-kilometre) frontier shared by the two countries. Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said the latest air strikes took place in the northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey. In a statement posted on Facebook, the ministry claimed that Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped as many as 40 bombs during the operation.
Thailand, however, said the strikes were aimed at asserting control over Nong Chan village and described the mission as “precise, effective and successful.”
The military action came as Thai and Cambodian representatives entered a third consecutive day of talks at a border checkpoint. Defence ministers from both sides are expected to join the negotiations on Saturday, raising hopes of progress toward de-escalation.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday that once both sides agreed to each other’s conditions, a ceasefire agreement could be signed.
The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has its roots in colonial-era demarcations made more than a century ago. Over the years, the disagreement has repeatedly flared into violence, resulting in casualties among both soldiers and civilians on either side of the border.
–IANS
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