Thai and Cambodian leaders met in Malaysia on Monday in an urgent effort to resolve the fatal border clashes that entered the fifth day despite international calls for peace.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai interim Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai held talks at the Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, which welcomes negotiations as president of the regional block, the Southeast Asian Nations Association.
Mohd Rasfan / Pool / AFP via Getty Images 
THE The fighting flared last Thursday After an explosion of terrestrial mines along the wounded border five Thai soldiers. The two parties blamed themselves for starting the clashes that killed at least 35 people and moved more than 260,000 people on both sides. The two countries recalled that their ambassadors and Thailand have closed all border passages with Cambodia, with an exception for migrant Cambodian workers who return home.
Troops on both sides reported fighting on Monday along border areas. Shops could be heard while Dawn broke in Samrong in the province of Meanchey d’Oddchey du Cambodge, said journalists of Associated Press covering the conflict.
Maly Scheata, spokesperson for the Cambodian Ministry of Defense, said the Thai assault was “in progress and strong” on Monday.
Anwar said on Sunday evening that the two parties would present their peace conditions, but “what is important is an immediate cease-fire”.
“I hope this can work,” said Anwar, quoted by the Malaysian national press agency Bernama. “Although it is not as bad as many other countries, we have to end (violence).”
The meeting followed the direct pressure from President Trump, who warned that the United States may not continue trade agreements with one or the other country if hostilities continue.
In a statement, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “State Department officials are on the ground in Malaysia to help these peace efforts. President Trump and I are committed to our respective counterparts for each country and monitor the situation very closely. We want this conflict to end as soon as possible.”
Before leaving for Kuala Lumpur, Phumtham told journalists representatives of Bangkok in the United States and China would also attend talks, as observers. He said the emphasis is on an immediate cease-fire, but that confidence could be a problem because Cambodia has not stopped its strikes.
“We have informed that we do not trust Cambodia. Everything they have done reflects that they are not sincere to solve this problem. So they have to show the details how they will do their sincerity,” he said.
Violence marks a rare example of an open military confrontation between the member states of the Anase, a regional block of 10 countries which is full of non-aggression, peaceful dialogue and economic cooperation.
In a statement on Monday, the ministers of foreign ASENAs reiterated concerns concerning The number of growing deathsDestruction of public properties and displacement of a large number of people along the disputed border areas. They urged the two countries to resolve their disputes through negotiations and expressed their support for efforts to find common ground during Monday talks.
The conflict also drew the attention of Pope Leo XIV. On Sunday, at the Vatican, the pontiff said that he prayed for all those affected by the war in the world, including “for people affected by the confrontations on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, in particular children and families displaced”.
In an evacuation refuge in the province of Siem Reap in Cambodia, far from the border, Ron Mao, 56, prays for a cease-fire contract at the meeting of leaders on Monday. She and her family fled their house at 0.6 mile from the first line when the fighting broke out on Thursday. They took refuge in a refuge but again moved to another camp further after hearing artillery bombings.
“I do not want to see this war perform. It is very difficult and I do not want to run like that,” she said, “when I heard our Prime Minister go to negotiate peace, I would be very happy if they concluded the agreement as soon as possible, so that my children and my children can go home as soon as possible.”
The 500 -mile border between Thailand and Cambodia has been challenged for decades, but previous confrontations have been limited and brief. The last tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and disrupted the internal policy of Thailand.
