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Malaysia says Cambodia, Thailand set for Christmas Eve ceasefire talks after Asean push
The breakthrough was quickly threatened as Cambodia accused Thailand of bombing border provinces with F-16s just hours later
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Fresh allegations of violence threatened to derail peace efforts on Monday as Cambodia claimed Thai F-16s bombarded Siem Reap and Preah Vihear, undercutting an earlier announcement by Malaysia that the two sides had agreed to a Christmas Eve ceasefire meeting.
Cambodia’s defence ministry said the Thai military shelled areas of Siem Reap and Preah Vihear provinces.
“At 4.18pm, the Thai military deployed F-16 fighter jets to bombard further deep into the Cambodian sovereign territory in the area of O’Kontoeng, Srae Nouy Commune, Varin district, Siem Reap province,” the ministry said in a statement.
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Fighting reignited in the contested frontier region earlier this month, displacing more than 500,000 people and killing dozens on either side, with Phnom Penh and Bangkok accusing each other of instigating violence and targeting civilians.
At least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia had been killed as of Sunday, according to officials, as tanks, drones and heavy artillery were deployed to bombard targets on either side of the border.
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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) said the December 24 meeting would be conducted by the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee – jointly chaired by the defence ministers of both Asean member states – to “discuss the implementation and verification of the ceasefire”.
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