The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia will meet on the sidelines of the Asean summit for rare talks following deadly fighting between the neighbours last year, as a ceasefire holds with no formal resolution in sight.
Troops remain deployed on both sides of the long-disputed 817km border after battles in July and December when skirmishes quickly escalated into air strikes and heavy exchanges of artillery and rockets.
The Philippines, which is hosting Asean meetings on the island of Cebu, said the talks would be overseen by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“They want an atmosphere for an Asean meeting that will go well,” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in Bangkok yesterday. “That’s why they want us to see each other.”
He did not elaborate on topics to be discussed but vowed to resolutely defend Thailand’s interests.
“I have to stand on principles during discussions,” he said.
“Any talks will have to be beneficial, protect Thai sovereignty and the public interest.”
Close to 150 people were killed and at least 300,000 displaced by the two rounds of fighting, which each country accused the other of starting.
The first outbreak was settled in July after five days following an intervention by US President Donald Trump, who oversaw the signing of a troop withdrawal pact in October during the Kuala Lumpur Asean summit.
But Trump was unsuccessful in efforts to halt a second flare-up, despite saying he had rescued the ceasefire, with clashes raging for 20 days before both sides agreed bilaterally to a truce.
Though fighting has stopped, Cambodia has repeatedly accused Thailand of ceasefire violations and of occupying disputed border territory, accusations Bangkok rejects.
Kung Phoak, Cambodia’s secretary of state for foreign affairs, said on Wednesday the three-way meeting showed Asean’s interest in tackling the conflict.
“It shows that the chair is trying to bring us together and to resolve the issue,” he said.
“We need to renounce the use and threat of force, and the solution has to be based on international law and existing treaties in agreement.”
Conflicts far beyond South-East Asia are expected to dominate meetings of the regional Asean bloc that began yesterday, with the Middle East crisis posing serious challenges for its fuel import-dependent economies.
Concerns of energy and food supply security will take centre stage in two days of meetings by leaders and ministers of the bloc, home to nearly 700 million, that is among the regions most exposed to fallout from the conflict.
The Philippines also hopes Asean ministers can hammer out an oil-sharing framework agreement at special meetings held ahead of the summit.
“Asean needs to strengthen our crisis coordination and institutional readiness in times of crisis,” said Ma Theresa Lazaro, the Philippine foreign affairs secretary.
“The ongoing crisis in the Middle East and its far-reaching repercussions ... remind us that developments beyond our region can have immediate and profound effects on Asean,” she added, before a meeting with counterparts. — Reuters
