The special Asean foreign ministers’ meeting slated for tomorrow has been postponed amid the ongoing conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar said Malaysia, which was supposed to host the meeting, was in the midst of coordinating the matter and monitoring developments, Utusan Malaysia reported.
“We have postponed (the meeting) to ensure that everything is in order first. Nonetheless, we still plead to all parties to halt the clash as the situation is very critical,” he was quoted as saying.
Anwar said Malaysia was still facilitating talks between Thailand and Cambodia in hopes of de-escalating the situation, and that he had been communicating on a daily basis with his Thai and Cambodian counterparts.
Separately, Wisma Putra said the meeting was postponed to Dec 22 at Bangkok’s request, with foreign minister Mohamad Hasan to chair the meeting.
More than 500,000 people have fled their homes to safety in Thailand and Cambodia since the start of the border conflict which reignited last week, surpassing the total number evacuated during similar clashes earlier this year.
The past week’s clashes were the deadliest since five days of fighting in July that killed dozens and displaced around 300,000 on both sides of the border before a ceasefire deal was brokered by Anwar and US president Donald Trump.
Thailand and Cambodia have disputed parts of their 817km land border for over a century, with fights over ancient temples sparking occasional armed clashes, including a deadly week-long artillery exchange in 2011.
Tensions flared again in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish, triggering a major build-up of troops and renewed fighting that has strained diplomatic ties.
