Thailand accused this Tuesday, July 29, Cambodia of raping a high fire on Tuesday, July 29, of violating a high fire in force a few hours before under the auspices of Malaysia, and it is supposed to end almost a week of bloody border fights between the two countries.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, announced on Monday, July 28 that Bangkok and Phnom Penh had reached “a common agreement that provides a high immediate and unconditional fire” from 12:00 am on Tuesday, July 29 (5:00 pm GMT on Monday).
“A deliberate violation of the agreement”
But after its entry into force, “the Thai part said that the Cambodian forces had launched armed attacks in several areas of the Thai,” said Thai Army spokesman Winthai Suwaree.
“This constitutes a deliberate violation of the agreement and a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust,” he added in a statement. “Thailand is forced to respond properly exercising its right to self -defense.”
On the Cambodian side, the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense Maly Scheata said there had been no “armed confrontation (…) in any region.” “The front has been calming since (the entry into force of Alto El Fuego) at 12:00 am,” said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Tuesday morning on Facebook.
Despite this accusation and this denied, the two parties proceed on Tuesday morning at meetings between local military commanders along the border, as planned as part of the Alto El Fuego agreement, they announced.
Trump congratulations
The clashes have killed at least 38 people since Thursday and have caused the displacement of around 300,000 inhabitants.
The two kingdoms of Southeast Asia have opposed for decades in the design of their common border, defined in the era of French Indochina. But rarely in recent history, an episode of violence had shaken the region.
Thailand and Cambodia have accused of having attacked first, and each camp questioned the sincerity of the opponent, before sitting at the negotiating table, in the eyes of the United States and China.
“Congratulations to all!” President Donald Trump wrote in his social network of truth after the announcement of the truce, indicating that he had spoken with the leaders of the two countries.
Thai interim prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai praised the intervention of Malaysia, which occupies the rotary presidency of the Association of Nations of Southeast Asia (ASEAN), China and “President Trump”.
“We have agreed with a high fire, which, we hope, will be respected in good faith by both parties,” he said.
For his part, the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Manet, judged that this peace agreement offered the possibility of a “return to normal.”
“The person in our town has confidence”
A cautious hope dominated among the displaced, on both sides of the border, after the announcement of the high fire. In Cambodia, Phean Neth, 45, found refuge in a vast field of displaced people on the site of a temple, far from the fights. “I am so happy not to be able to describe it.”
On the Thai side, Tee Samanjai, 68, is already thinking about his return to the farm and what he will do: “Check the chickens, fertilize the rice and take care of the fields.” But the concern is not far away. “I want to return, but I have no confidence in Cambodia at all. No one in our town has confidence.”
Bangkok and Phnom Penh were drawn from the death of a soldier Jemer at the end of May during a fire exchange in a dispute area. Since then, in a context of nationalist discourse, the two countries have embarked on an elimination of measures that affected economic flows and people.
Before the activation of the clashes, Thailand also expelled the Cambodian ambassador of his territory and recalled his present in Cambodia. The Khmer kingdom had responded by degrading diplomatic relations “at the lowest level” with its neighbor.
Donald Trump called the head of the two camps this Saturday, urging them to take a quick agreement well, under the penalty of freezing discussions about prohibitive customs tasks that must attack these two economies that depend on exports on August 1.
The clashes have officially killed 25 on the Thai side, including eleven soldiers, and 13 dead, including five soldiers, on the Cambodian side. According to Phnom Penh, more than 138,000 Thai people have evacuated risk areas, and more than 140,000 Cambodians have done the same, according to Phnom Penh.
The high fire agreement establishes the celebration of a meeting of a cross -border committee in Cambodia on August 4.
Source: BFM TV
