Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire: militaries delay meet to iron out details

The meeting comes after the Thai army accused its Cambodian counterpart of violating the truce by launching armed attacks

The militaries of Thailand and Cambodia have postponed a meeting scheduled to start negotiations at 10am local time on Tuesday, as small clashes erupted along the border after both sides agreed to a ceasefire at midnight on Monday.

A Thai army spokesman told Reuters that no new time for the talks had been set yet.

On Tuesday, Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that the border was calm now, according to Reuters. “There is no escalation,” Phumtham told reporters. “Right now things are calm.”

“The frontline has eased after a ceasefire took effect from Monday midnight in accordance with the spirit of the agreement between Cambodia and Thailand at a special meeting in Malaysia,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a post on his official social media platforms on Tuesday.

“A sooner cessation of hostilities will also allow affected people, such as evacuees, to return to their homes and resume normal livelihoods sooner. This ceasefire and peace agreement is yielding positive and effective results.”

In the hours between midnight and the military meeting, Thailand’s army had accused Cambodia of violating the truce, saying clashes were continuing along the 800km (500-mile) border.

“At the time the agreement took effect, the Thai side detected that Cambodian forces had launched armed attacks into several areas within Thai territory,” Thai army spokesman Winthai Suwaree told Agence France-Presse.

“This constitutes a deliberate violation of the agreement and a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust. Thailand is compelled to respond appropriately, exercising its legitimate right to self-defence.”

Cambodia’s defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata insisted, however, that there had been “no armed clashes against each other in any regions”.

At least 38 people have been killed and nearly 300,000 displaced since tensions escalated last Thursday in the deadliest flare-up in over a decade.

“When I heard the news I was so happy because I miss my home and my belongings that I left behind,” Phean Neth told Agence France-Presse on Monday evening at a camp for Cambodian evacuees on a temple site away from the fighting. “I am so happy that I cannot describe it.”

Unhandled type: inline-plus-widget {“type”:”inline-plus-widget”}

“If they say they’ll stop firing, they must stop completely,” said Thai evacuee Prapakarn Samruamjit, 43, in the city of Surin near the border.

Eleven soldiers and 14 civilians have been confirmed killed by Thai officials, while Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths.