Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he will continue to push for a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia following clashes over border disputes.
Anwar said he has ordered foreign minister Mohamad Hasan to call his Thai and Cambodian counterparts.
“And I will also be contacting them to push for a ceasefire,” Anwar, who is Asean chairman, told reporters after the 50th edition of the Prime Minister’s Cup debate competition at Putrajaya International Convention Centre today.
Anwar had yesterday said that both countries had agreed to a ceasefire.
This morning, however, he remarked: “But it seems they are still shooting at each other.”
Earlier today, AFP reported that the death toll from the clashes between the two countries, which have entered into their third day, had risen to 33.
Cambodia’s defence ministry said 13 people were now confirmed killed in the fighting, comprising eight civilians and five soldiers, with 71 people wounded.
In Thailand, the army said five soldiers were killed on Friday, taking the toll to 20 – 14 civilians and six military personnel.
According to AFP, the death toll across the two countries is now higher than the 28 killed in the last major round of fighting between 2008 and 2011.
