KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) — Thailand and Cambodia have expressed a strong commitment to ending border conflicts during a secretariat-level discussion at Wisma Perwira, Malaysian Armed Forces here today, ahead of the Extraordinary General Border Committee (GBC) meeting.
Chief of Defence Forces General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar said the discussion, chaired by Cambodia, will also cover the terms of reference (TOR) for establishing the ASEAN Defence Attaché Monitoring Team (AMT).
He said that the AMT will ensure that both countries comply with the ceasefire agreement reached by their leaders at Seri Perdana on July 28, during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“They (Thailand and Cambodia) are now discussing the prerequisites for the AMT’s deployment. If all goes well, we are expecting a very positive resolution by this Thursday,” he told reporters after meeting with both secretariat heads here today.
Fifty-four representatives from Thailand and Cambodia are involved in the secretariat-level meeting. Cambodian Defence Minister General Tea Seiha, Thailand’s Acting Minister of Defence General Natthaphon Narkphanit, the Chief of Defence Forces, and government representatives from both countries are expected to attend the GBC meeting this Thursday.
He said Malaysia is not participating in the three-day secretariat meeting, which kicked off today, and is only acting as a facilitator ahead of the extraordinary meeting.
“The meeting was originally scheduled to be held in Phnom Penh (Cambodia), but Thailand requested Malaysia to host it. Only the two parties, Thailand and Cambodia, are involved in reaching a consensus to understand the TOR, AMT and related matters. Our role is solely to facilitate the direction of discussions and highlight the key outcomes that need to be achieved before Thursday.
“Malaysia, the United States and China have been invited as observers at the GBC meeting. Following the GBC, there will be an informal discussion involving the Defence and Foreign Ministers of Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia,” he said.
Mohd Nizam said key elements in achieving peace include a complete ceasefire, no additional troop deployments to the border, which means maintaining the status quo; providing medical assistance; refraining from indirect fire attacks; and avoiding conflicting public statements.
Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a ceasefire effective midnight on July 28, following a special meeting in Malaysia that brought the two Southeast Asian neighbours to the negotiating table amid escalating tensions.
Chaired by Anwar at the Seri Perdana Complex in Putrajaya, the meeting saw Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai agree to a ceasefire deal following weeks of heightened tensions.
The two countries have long-standing diplomatic friction over an 817-kilometre un-demarcated stretch of their shared border.
Tensions escalated on May 28 when a skirmish near the disputed Preah Vihear area resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier.
— BERNAMA
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