KUALA LUMPUR: The ceasefire agreement and terms of reference (TOR) were the main agenda of the secretariat-level discussions between Thailand and Cambodia, which entered its second day on Tuesday (Aug 5), says Chief of Defence Force Gen Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar.
He said both matters needed to be finalised first to ensure both parties understand and abide by them, including in terms of monitoring implementation by the Asean Defence Attaché Monitoring Team (AMT).
The AMT would play a role in ensuring Thailand and Cambodia complied with the ceasefire agreement reached by both nations’ leaders on July 28.
“What is happening now is a joint working group prior to the actual GBC (General Border Committee). The important matters to be discussed and finalised are the ceasefire agreement and the simplified TOR.
“This TOR is crucial to ensure both parties understand and comply with it. It also covers matters relating to the AMT,” he told Bernama.
The secretariat-level meeting involving 54 representatives from Thailand and Cambodia is being held at Wisma Perwira here, ahead of the Extraordinary GBC meeting.
On Monday (Aug 4), Mohd Nizam said Malaysia was not participating in the three-day secretariat meeting and only served as a facilitator before the Extraordinary GBC meeting.
Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to implement a ceasefire effective midnight on July 28 through a special meeting in Malaysia that brought the two South-East Asian neighbours to the negotiation table following escalating tensions.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Seri Perdana Complex in Putrajaya, saw Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai agreeing to the ceasefire following several weeks of mounting tensions between the two countries.
The 817km-long undemarcated points along the border have long been a sensitive issue between the two nations and has sparked tensions on multiple occasions, affecting diplomatic ties.
Tensions peaked on May 28 when fighting erupted in the disputed Preah Vihear area, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier. – Bernama
