Thailand and Cambodia to send diplomats for border visits as ceasefire holds
The ceasefire agreement reached in Malaysia was set to take effect at midnight on Monday, but it was quickly challenged as Thailand and Cambodia continued to accuse each other of breaching the truce terms.
Thailand and Cambodia separately planned border visits for foreign diplomats to observe damage from the nearly weeklong clashes, as violence that continued after a ceasefire appears to have eased, News.Az reports citing Euronews.
The ceasefire reached in Malaysia was supposed to take effect at midnight on Monday, but it was quickly tested as Thailand and Cambodia continued to accuse each other of violating the truce agreements.
Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday it is organising a trip to the border for military attachés of foreign missions and the media on Friday to show the impact of the clashes on the ground.
Cambodia is also organising a border visit for foreign diplomats on the same day.
It held a similar trip on Wednesday attended by representatives from 13 countries, including the US and China.
Thailand's government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said on Thursday that there had been no new clashes reported overnight into Thursday.
But tensions on other fronts continue to simmer. Officials in Thailand's border province of Surin, one of the critical locations of the conflict, cautioned evacuees on Thursday against returning home as they were surveying affected areas for any ammunition that might still pose a risk.
A spokesperson for Cambodia’s Defence Ministry Maly Socheata said on Thursday that Cambodia had received the body of one of its soldiers from Thailand.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the military is now in contact with its Thai counterparts to facilitate the return of about 20 other soldiers captured by Thai forces.
"I hope that the Thai Army will return all our soldiers who are currently in the custody of the Thai Army to Cambodia as soon as possible," he said.
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