Cambodia and Thailand have opened four days of border talks at a checkpoint in Chanthaburi after a dispute over the meeting venue. The negotiations aim to secure a lasting ceasefire, coordinate de-mining and restore stability after renewed clashes that killed more than 40 people and displaced about one million. Thai officials say progress depends on Cambodian sincerity and cooperation; previous truces brokered by the US, China and Malaysia failed to hold.
Thailand and Cambodia Begin Four-Day Border Talks in Chanthaburi to Halt Deadly Clashes
Around a million people have been displaced by the fighting, according to officials (TANG CHHIN SOTHY)(TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP/AFP)
Cambodian and Thai defence delegations began four days of talks on Wednesday at a border checkpoint in Thailand's Chanthaburi province, Phnom Penh said. The discussions are intended to broker an end to renewed fighting along the frontier and to restore stability to affected communities.
The meeting was briefly in doubt after Cambodia asked for a neutral venue, but the Cambodian government published a photograph of the two delegations seated in a plainly furnished meeting room and said the talks had started, with the aim to 'ensure the cessation of hostilities' and 'facilitate a swift return to normalcy'.
Goals And Immediate Issues
Officials say the talks, scheduled to run until Saturday, aim to secure a lasting ceasefire, coordinate de-mining operations and create conditions for the safe return of displaced civilians. Thai Defence Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said Bangkok was 'very hopeful that the meeting will have positive outcomes' but warned any success would depend on the Cambodian side showing sincerity in both words and actions.
'We remain optimistic that the Thai side will demonstrate sincerity in implementing a ceasefire,' Cambodia's Interior Ministry said, even as intermittent cross-border fire continued.
The long-running dispute traces back to colonial-era boundary demarcation along an approximately 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier and a scattering of ancient temple ruins near the border. Fresh fighting this month shattered an earlier truce, officials say, killing more than 40 people and displacing roughly one million residents.
Previous attempts to halt the violence — including a short-lived ceasefire brokered by the United States, China and Malaysia after deadly clashes in July — failed to hold. Both sides have exchanged accusations of attacks on civilians since fighting resumed in December.
What Comes Next: Over the next four days diplomats and military representatives will test whether the two sides can agree on concrete, verifiable steps—such as a monitored ceasefire and coordinated de-mining—to prevent further civilian harm and stabilize the border region.
