Thailand and Cambodia agree to Malaysian mediation, Malaysian minister says

SISAKET, Thailand/PHNOM PENH - Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to Malaysia acting as a mediator in their border conflict, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on July 27, as the combatants each said the other had launched further artillery attacks across contested areas.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai are expected in Malaysia on the evening of July 28, Datuk Seri Mohamad told state news agency Bernama.

“They have full confidence in Malaysia and asked me to be a mediator,” Mr Mohamad said, adding that he had spoken with his Cambodian and Thai counterparts and they agreed no other country should be involved in the issue.

The talks in Malaysia come after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is chair of Asean, proposed a ceasefire on July 25, and US President Donald Trump said on July 26 that the two leaders had agreed to work on a ceasefire.

Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the South-east Asian neighbours, the death toll stood at above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia.

More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in the two countries, the authorities said. 

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