For the past few months, Thailand and Cambodia, which have had frequent border tensions, may be heading for a new round of peace talks.

According to media reports from Singapore's CNA, Malaysia's Sin Chew Daily, and other outlets, on November 13 local time, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar and Foreign Minister Mohamed jointly proposed that the country would host a new round of peace talks to ease the escalating border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia.

On the evening of the 13th, Anwar posted a statement on social media stating that he had spoken by phone with Thai Prime Minister Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet that day. He said, "The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with the consensus reached under the Kuala Lumpur Peace Agreement."

"I reiterated Malaysia's position that the friendship and ceasefire between the two countries must be further strengthened according to the agreement reached in Kuala Lumpur last month," Anwar added.

Earlier that day, Mohamed stated that both Thailand and Cambodia had proactively contacted Malaysia, "Thailand and Cambodia currently both tend to meet in Kuala Lumpur, hoping to restore trust through dialogue and prevent the border conflict from escalating further."

Regarding the "mine explosion incident" that occurred in the Thai-Cambodian border area this week, Mohamed revealed that according to the preliminary report submitted by the ASEAN observation team, the explosive was a newly buried mine, causing four Thai soldiers to be injured.

Thai soldiers searching for mines in the border area. Photo courtesy of AFP

In July this year, conflicts began between Cambodia and Thailand in the border areas, resulting in at least 43 deaths and over 300,000 civilians displaced. Under the chairmanship of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar, the two countries held talks on July 28 and agreed to an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire starting at midnight on the same day, and scheduled a meeting of the Thai-Cambodian Boundary Commission to promote the restoration of peace and stability in the border areas. On August 7, a special meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Boundary Commission reached a consensus on the ceasefire agreement between the two countries, and both sides signed the relevant documents.

After reaching a preliminary ceasefire consensus in August, on October 26 local time, Thailand and Cambodia signed a joint statement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the issue of border peace, including four Thai-Cambodian peace agreements: removal of heavy weapons, clearance of landmines, combating fraud groups, and joint management of the border.

On October 26, Thailand and Cambodia signed a joint statement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the issue of border peace. Photo courtesy of CCTV News Client

However, since this week, the two countries have again experienced friction. On the morning of November 10, a mine explosion occurred in the Four Colors City in the Thai-Cambodian border area, injuring several Thai soldiers. After the incident, Thailand accused Cambodia of launching a new armed conflict in the border area and announced the suspension of implementing the peace agreement with Cambodia, and the original plan to release captured Cambodian personnel on the 12th was also suspended.

At night on November 10, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement denying Thailand's accusation that Cambodia had planted new mines along the border with Thailand, and stated that Cambodia would continue to commit to implementing the peace joint statement signed with Thailand. Since the 10th, gunfire has been reported in the border areas of Thailand and Cambodia, and the two countries have accused each other of launching new armed conflicts.

This article is an exclusive article from Observers Network. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

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