Thailand, Cambodia Hold Ceasefire Talks in Malaysia as Border Clashes Rage On

Leaders from Thailand and Cambodia are meeting in Malaysia in a push to halt the deadly border violence that’s already killed at least 35 people and forced over 270,000 to flee. Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet sat down for emergency talks Monday in Putrajaya — hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who’s currently chairing ASEAN.

While the gathering has been kept low-profile, both U.S. and Chinese ambassadors were present, adding weight to the effort to broker a ceasefire.

The meeting comes amid ongoing fighting along the disputed border, now into its fifth day. According to Thai army officials, gunfire continued early Monday near Samrong in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province. Over the weekend, Thai authorities reported rocket strikes from Cambodia killed at least one person and injured another in Thailand’s Sisaket province.

Thailand has accused Cambodia of stationing snipers at contested temples and hitting Thai territory with rockets. In response, Cambodia’s defense ministry claimed Thai troops launched air-dropped smoke bombs and fired heavy weapons near ancient sites like Ta Muen Thom and Ta Kwai — territory Cambodia says is its own.

Thailand’s Prime Minister made it clear before departing for Malaysia that he wasn’t exactly hopeful, telling reporters that Cambodia had yet to show any “genuine intent” to deescalate.

Meanwhile, the diplomatic stage has been anything but smooth. Malaysian officials have tried to downplay the summit, likely to avoid any premature declarations. Last week, Kuala Lumpur had claimed a peace deal was in place — a statement quickly shut down by Thailand’s Foreign Ministry.

Despite the caution, Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim says his priority remains “an immediate ceasefire,” and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that American diplomats are on the ground supporting the talks.

With input from Al Jazeera