Thailand-Cambodia Reach Ceasefire Consensus At Secretariat Talks - Chief Of Defence Force

By Mohd Firdaus Md Saisi

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 (Bernama) -- Secretariat-level discussions between Thailand and Cambodia, which took place over three days starting Monday, have reached a consensus in principle on key issues relating to the implementation of the ceasefire along their shared border.

Chief of Defence Force Gen Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar said this included agreement on the terms of reference (TOR) for monitoring efforts by the interim ASEAN Defence Attache Observer Team and the ASEAN Defence Attache Observer Team (AOT).

“Alhamdulillah, a basic consensus has been reached; however, there are still several matters being refined, which will be finalised during the Extraordinary General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting tomorrow,” he told Bernama when contacted here, today.

The secretariat-level meeting was held at Wisma Perwira of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), involving 40 representatives from Thailand and Cambodia ahead of the Extraordinary GBC Meeting.

Apart from Malaysia, the interim ASEAN Defence Attache Observer Team also includes Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, which began their mission on Aug 3.

Yesterday, Mohd Nizam said Malaysia did not participate in the three-day secretariat meeting and only served as a facilitator prior to the Extraordinary GBC Meeting tomorrow.

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to implement a ceasefire effective midnight on July 28 through a special meeting in Malaysia chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, that brought both Southeast Asian neighbours to the negotiating table following heightened tensions.

Tensions between the two countries peaked on May 28 when fighting broke out in the disputed Preah Vihear area, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier.

-- BERNAMA