JOHOR BARU: A border meeting between Cambodia and Thailand is expected to be held at Wisma Pewira in Kuala Lumpur this coming week, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said he will call his Cambodian and Thai counterparts to discuss the details of the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting, which is part of the terms for the ceasefire between the two nations that have been embroiled in a border dispute.
“I will call the defence minister of each country individually to express Malaysia's willingness to be the host for the bilateral meeting between Cambodia and Thailand.
“After I have spoken to both of them, we will have a zoom meeting involving all three defence ministers to explain the process and flow of the meeting that will be held next week (starting tomorrow).
“This means Malaysia will serve as a neutral ground for them to hold the meeting and we will ensure the meeting goes smoothly,” he told reporters here yesterday.
The Cambodian and Thai defence ministers are expected to arrive in Kuala Lumpur for further talks.
Top officials from both countries will also meet separately before the GBC, Mohamed Khaled added.
Fighting between the two Asean neighbours broke out on July 24 over a centuries-old border dispute which killed more than 40 people, including civilians, and forced more than 260,000 others from their homes.
A Malaysian-brokered ceasefire ended the violence on July 28.
The GBC was part of the ceasefire agreement reached between the two countries at a special meeting in Putrajaya on July 28.
The GBC meeting was originally planned for tomorrow in Phnom Penh. However, Thailand later proposed Malaysia as a neutral venue and Cambodia has agreed to the request.
