Hun Manet Heads To Putrajaya for Ceasefire Talks With Thailand 

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, July 28 (Bernama) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet will lead a delegation to Malaysia on Monday for mediation talks facilitated by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Hun Manet confirmed his participation in a posting on his Facebook page late on Sunday. 

“I will lead a Cambodian delegation to attend a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur hosted by Malaysia. I’d like to thank Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his initiative and coordination to organise and host this special meeting,” said Hun Manet.

Manet is expected to hold high-level talks with acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to de-escalate the growing armed confrontation between the two countries.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in Putrajaya on Monday at 3 pm.

Anwar, who is also chair of ASEAN, last week proposed brokering a peace deal with the two warring parties after a border conflict erupted.

Tensions have been simmering since a May 28 skirmish between Cambodian and Thai forces in the Preah Vihear area, in the northern part of the kingdom.

For decades, the two ASEAN member states have been involved in a protracted and bitter dispute over an 817-km non-demarcated border that spiralled into a bloody conflict in northern Cambodia last week.

Along the borders inside Cambodia, a humanitarian crisis is brewing. Over 80,000 people have now been evacuated as armed aggression continued over the weekend.

According to the Ministry of National Defence, five soldiers and eight civilians have lost their lives. 

Both parties in a hostile mood agreed to meet after mounting pressure from the international community, including the United Nations (UN) and the United States (US).

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said both governments have agreed to discuss a ceasefire soon. 

-- BERNAMA