Ceasefire agreed in Thai-Cambodian border clashes

Cambodian villagers evacuate from their village near by the Cambodia-Thailand border in Oddar Meanchey province on April 27, 2011. Heavy weapons fire rocked the border region for a seventh day on Thursday as officials confirmed a 15th death in the bloodiest fighting between the neighbours in decades.
(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Apr 28, 2011,

Phnom Penh/Bangkok - Thai and Cambodian military commanders Thursday agreed to implement a ceasefire after seven days of fighting along their border left 15 people, including one civilian, dead and around 60 injured.

Calling it a 'good sign for both countries,' Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the armies agreed to a ceasefire. He added Thailand would monitor the situation overnight.

The news came after further clashes broke out early Thursday in four areas, including near the Cambodian border town of O'Smach.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said late Thursday that fighting had stopped. He said military commanders on the ground had met and agreed to work together to ensure peace held.

'Cambodia is happy about the ceasefire,' he said. 'We welcome that.'

In Bangkok, Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said the Thai second region commander met with the Cambodian fourth region commander and both sides were to report back to their superiors.

Thani said it was encouraging the field commanders met, but shied away from calling it an official ceasefire. He added the two armies have been in the practice of staying in touch, but Cambodian officers stopped talking to their Thai counterparts Friday, when hostilities broke out.

The situation changed Thursday and 'it is a positive sign. ... If they don't start, we won't start. The ceasefire is up to Cambodia,' he said.

Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Keowkamnerd said all Thai forces are now on home soil and standing down, but 'if attacked, we will respond.'

Each side had blamed the other for the violence.

International pressure to stop the fighting had increased over recent days, with the European Union on Wednesday describing the clashes as 'very worrying.'

Cambodia and Thailand are members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations, whose current chair, Indonesia, was tasked with mediating.

If the ceasefire is to hold, many details need to be sorted out, including the possibility of placing observers along the contested border, which Indonesia originally proposed.

Cambodia agreed to the proposal. Thani on Thursday said Thailand had agreed in principle back in February to invite observers once technical details were clarified. Those include assurances that there are no Cambodian troops at the Preah Vihear temple, or other temples along the border.

More than 30,000 Cambodian civilians have fled the fighting, and an equal number on the Thai side also moved away from the area.

Phay Siphan said Thursday that until the ceasefire was shown to be effective, Phnom Penh would not encourage civilians to return home.

Thailand has blamed UNESCO for escalating the tensions with its decision in 2008 to list the 11th-century temple of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site, despite Thai claims that a 4.6-square-kilometre area near the temple is still the subject of a five-decade border demarcation dispute.