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Thai, Cambodian militaries agree on border de-escalation plan

The parties also agreed to facilitate the exchange of the wounded and the bodies of those killed in the recent clashes

BANGKOK, July 29. /TASS/. Representatives of the Thai and Cambodian armed forces have held a meeting, agreeing on a plan to ease border tensions, the Royal Thai Army said in a statement.

The plan includes an immediate ceasefire, a ban on the use of force against civilians and a ban on reinforcing or moving troops in a manner that could cause misunderstanding. The parties also agreed to facilitate the exchange of the wounded and the bodies of those killed in the recent clashes, and create a joint coordination group at the local level to resolve pressing issues and prevent further incidents.

The Thai military said that the consensus had been reached at a meeting between the leadership of Thailand’s Second Army Region and Cambodia's Fourth Military Region , which took place at 10:00 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m. GMT). In addition, the leadership of Thailand’s First Army Region and Cambodia’s Fifth Military Region also held talks, while an online meeting took place between representatives of Thai border forces and Cambodia's Third Military Region .

According to the Royal Thai Army, the parties agreed to respect the ceasefire and suspend the movement of troops ahead of a General Border Committee meeting set for August 4.

On July 28, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced a ceasefire between Bangkok and Phnom Penh following talks in Kuala Lumpur between Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The ceasefire for the border areas between Thailand and Cambodia took effect after five days of armed clashes. On July 29, the Thai army accused Cambodia of violating the ceasefire but Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense rejected the accusations.