Thailand, Cambodia Hold Talks in Malaysia as Fragile Ceasefire Maintains After Deadly Border Clashes

Thailand and Cambodia have engaged in preliminary defense talks in Malaysia following a fragile ceasefire that halted five days of intense border clashes, which resulted in at least 43 deaths and displaced over 300,000 people. The ceasefire was agreed upon on July 28 with the involvement of the US, China, and Malaysia, and a key General Border Committee meeting is scheduled to take place to discuss maintaining the truce and establishing terms of reference, including the formation of an ASEAN monitoring team to ensure the ceasefire holds. Despite the ceasefire, there remain tensions and accusations, with Cambodia alleging that Thailand violated the agreement by making border modifications, while Thailand claims the Cambodian side reinforced their troop positions. An ongoing issue is the detention of 18 Cambodian soldiers by Thailand, who are treated as prisoners of war and will be released only after a complete cessation of hostilities, not just the ceasefire. The talks and upcoming meetings aim to facilitate a broader de-escalation roadmap and promote peace and cooperation along the disputed border near Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province and Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani. International observers from the US, China, and Malaysia are closely monitoring the process in hopes of a lasting resolution to the conflict.