Thai and Cambodian leaders will meet in Malaysia for talks to finish hostilities, a spokesperson for the Thai prime minister’s office said Sunday. This comes following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to finish a deadly border dispute, now in its fourth day, which has killed no less than 35 people and displaced greater than 218,000.
Jirayu Huangsap said Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will attend Monday’s talks in response to an invite from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim “to debate peace efforts within the region.” Anwar has been acting in his capability as this yr’s chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet late Sunday night on several social media platforms confirmed his participation as well.
“I’ll lead (the) Cambodian delegation to attend a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur hosted by Malaysia, co-organized by america and with participation of China,” he said. China is a detailed ally of Cambodia, and had early within the fighting urged the 2 nations to resolve their differences peacefully, but Hun Manet’s statement gave the impression to be the primary mentioning a Chinese link to Monday’s planned talks.
Trump posted on the Truth Social social network Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and suggested he wouldn’t move forward with trade agreements with either country if the hostilities continued. He later said each side agreed to satisfy to barter a ceasefire.
Either side comply with discuss a ceasefire
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said earlier Sunday his country agreed to pursue an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” He said Trump told him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following the U.S. president’s conversation with Phumtham.
Phumtham thanked Trump and qualified Thailand’s position, saying it agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the necessity for “sincere intention” from Cambodia, the Thai Foreign Ministry said.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the globe, join for breaking news alerts delivered on to you after they occur.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Sunday said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with the foreign ministers of each Thailand and Cambodia urging them “to de-escalate tensions immediately and comply with a ceasefire.”
Her statement added that the U.S. “is ready to facilitate future discussions with a purpose to ensure peace and stability” between the 2 countries.
Either side blames the opposite for the clashes
The fighting flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Either side blamed one another for starting the clashes. Each countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia, with an exception for migrant Cambodian staff returning home.
Despite the diplomatic efforts, fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested border, with each side refusing to budge and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements.
Col. Richa Suksowanont, a Thai army deputy spokesperson, said Cambodian forces fired heavy artillery into Surin province, including at civilian homes, early Sunday. He said Cambodia also launched rocket attacks targeting the traditional Ta Muen Thom temple, claimed by each countries, and other areas in a bid to reclaim territory secured by Thai troops. Thai forces responded with long-range artillery to strike Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers.
Battlefield operations will proceed and a ceasefire can only occur if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations, he added.
“Cambodian attacks remain irregular and will constitute violations of rules of engagement, posing further risk to frame communities,” said the Thai military’s every day summary of the fighting issued Sunday night.
“The situation stays highly tense, and it’s anticipated that Cambodia could also be preparing for a significant military operation prior to entering negotiations,” it said.
Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata accused Thai forces of escalating the violence with bombardment of Cambodian territory early Sunday, followed by a “large-scale incursion” involving tanks and ground troops in multiple areas.
“Such actions undermine all efforts toward peaceful resolution and expose Thailand’s clear intent to escalate slightly than de-escalate the conflict,” she said.
Thailand on Sunday reported a brand new death of a soldier, bringing its total variety of fatalities to 22, mostly civilians. Cambodia said 13 people have been killed, though it was unclear if that included Lt. Gen. Duong Samnieng, whose death in combat was announced Sunday.
Greater than 139,000 people in Thailand have evacuated to protected locations and over 79,000 people fled from three Cambodian provinces. Many border villages are mostly deserted, with many colleges and hospitals shut.
Evacuees hope for a swift end to the fighting
Pichayut Surasit, an air-conditioning technician in Thailand, said the sudden outbreak of fighting meant leaving his work in Bangkok to return home to guard his family.
“I didn’t have the center to proceed with my work once I heard the news. I wanted to come back back as soon as possible, but I had to attend until the evening,” he said. Now at a shelter in Surin housing some 6,000 evacuees, Pichayut worries for his wife and twin daughters, hoping the conflict will end soon so that they can return to their home in Kap Choeng district, one among the toughest hit by shelling.
Bualee Chanduang, an area vendor who moved to the identical shelter Thursday along with her family and pet rabbit, is counting on swift negotiations to finish the violence. “I pray for God to assist in order that each side can comply with talk and end this war,” she said.
On the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said he was praying for all those affected by war on this planet, including “for those affected by the clashes on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, especially the kids and displaced families.”
The 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for a long time, but past confrontations have been limited and temporary. The most recent tensions erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand’s domestic politics.
© 2025 The Canadian Press