BANGKOK, January 12. /TASS/. Thailand has called on Cambodia to promptly begin humanitarian demining in the border conflict zone to implement the provisions of the Kuala Lumpur peace agreements, according to a statement released by the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry.
"Thailand remains firmly committed to the demarcation of the common land border and reaffirms that all legal and technical issues should be resolved through the Joint Border Committee (JBC) mechanism. At the same time, efforts on border issues should take place in an atmosphere of de-escalation and be based on mutual trust. In this regard, Thailand calls on Cambodia to immediately implement other available de-escalation measures provided for in the joint declaration, in particular humanitarian demining to ensure the safety of civilians and research teams," the statement said.
"The Thai side reaffirms its full commitment to resolving differences through bilateral mechanisms and plans to resume the activities of the JBC at the earliest opportunity. Thailand is currently finalizing the internal procedures required to form a new cabinet after the general election and will inform the Cambodian side of the proposed date and preliminary agenda for the next JBC meeting," the communique said.
Cambodia and Thailand agreed to a ceasefire on December 27 following the third special meeting of the two countries’ Border Committee. The latest escalation in the border conflict began with an exchange of fire on December 7. On December 8, Thai ground forces reported that Cambodian troops had fired artillery at Thai positions in the border area, prompting the Thai Air Force to strike Cambodian military infrastructure. Twenty-three Thai soldiers were killed in the clashes. According to the Cambodian Defense Ministry, 31 civilians were killed and at least 87 others were wounded as a result of shelling in Cambodia.