Leaders of Cambodia and Thailand are set to meet for talks amid fighting between the two countries that has killed multiple people. As of Sunday, July 27, the fourth day of the hostilities, at least 35 people have been killed, 200 wounded and over 200,000 people displaced, a CNN tally of figures from officials showed.
Thai officials said 22 people have been killed on their side, including 14 civilians. Cambodia said 13 people, eight of whom were civilians, died and 50 were injured from their country.
On Saturday, July 26, United States President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he spoke to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s acting PM Phumtham Wechayachai and that two leaders are “looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace.”
“They are also looking to get back to the “Trading Table” with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting STOPS,” Trump said. “They have agreed to immediately meet and quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE!”
Talks will take place in Malaysia on Monday, July 28, the country’s foreign minister said.
“I will lead (the) Cambodian delegation to attend a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur hosted by Malaysia, co-organized by the United States and with participation of China,” Manet said, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile Phumtham said at a press conference reported on by CNN that he does not want a third country to mediate the talks, but he is thankful for Trump’s “concern.”
“We’ve proposed a bilateral between our foreign ministers, to conclude what conditions [would be] for ceasefire and drawing back troops and long range firing weapons,” Phumtham said.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Secretary of State Marco Rubio talked to Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn to urge his government to “deescalate tensions immediately and agree to a ceasefire with Thailand over the ongoing border dispute.”
“The United States is prepared to facilitate future discussions in order to ensure peace and stability between Thailand and Cambodia,” Bruce said in a July 27 statement.
Thailand, Cambodia border dispute
Clashes began on the Thailand-Cambodia border on Thursday, July 24, with both sides blaming the other for starting the violence. Thai forces accused Cambodian troops of deploying a drone near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple. Cambodian troops went into the territory and opened fire on a Thai base, Thailand said.
Thai army personnel then deployed F-16 jets on what it called Cambodian military positions. Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Maly Socheata of Cambodia’s defense ministry said the Thai airstrikes were unprovoked and an act of aggression. Cambodian forces acted “strictly within the bounds of self-defense,” Socheata said.
Thailand and Cambodia’s tensions stem from colonial-era maps drawn by France while Cambodia was under French rule, The Washington Post wrote. Both the Ta Moan Thom and Preah Vihear temples are in contested zones. The two countries claim rights to the land around the two sites.
Fighting didn’t stop on Sunday, July 27, despite the looming ceasefire discussions. Socheata said Thai forces bombarded a Cambodian territory on Sunday, followed by a “large-scale incursion” with tanks and ground troops in multiple areas, per the AP.
Meanwhile, Col. Richa Suksowanont, a Thai army deputy spokesperson, accused Cambodian troops of firing heavy artillery into Surin province on Sunday.
