Thailand and Cambodia plan border visits for diplomats as violence eases

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand and Cambodia separately planned border visits for foreign diplomats to observe damages from the nearly weeklong clash, as violence that continued after a ceasefire appears to have eased.

The ceasefire reached in Malaysia was supposed to take effect midnight Monday, but it was quickly tested as Thailand and Cambodia continued to accuse each other of violating the truce agreements.

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday it is organizing a trip to the border for military attachés of foreign missions and the media on Friday to show the impact of the clashes on the ground.

Cambodia is also organizing a border visit for foreign diplomats on the same day. It held a similar trip on Wednesday attended by representatives from 13 countries, including the U.S. and China.

Thailand’s government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said Thursday that there had been no new clashes reported overnight Wednesday.

But tensions on other fronts continue to simmer. Officials in Thailand’s border province of Surin, one of the critical locations of the conflict, on Thursday cautioned evacuees against returning home as they were surveying affected areas for any ammunition that might still pose a risk.

A spokesperson for Cambodia’s Defense Ministry Maly Socheata said Thursday that Cambodia has received the body of one of its soldiers from Thailand.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the military is now in contact with its Thai counterparts to facilitate the return of about 20 other soldiers captured by Thai forces.

“I hope that the Thai Army will return all our soldiers who are currently in the custody of the Thai Army to Cambodia as soon as possible,” he said.

Thai foreign minister Maris Sagniampongsa said the Cambodian soldiers were being well taken care of and would be sent back once Thailand is confident they no longer pose a threat. He said security officials would determine when the return would be.

Hun Manet and Thailand’s acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, agreed Monday to an “unconditional” halt in the fighting which has killed at least 41 people.

The fighting began last week after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers.

The peace talks were hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He called the ceasefire a “vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security.”

The ceasefire was brokered with U.S. pressure as President Donald Trump said he would not move forward with trade agreements if the conflict continued.

But both countries continued to blame at each other and Thailand accused Cambodia of launching new attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday after the agreement took effect.

Cambodia’s Maj. Gen. Chan Sopheaktra of the Preah Vihear province said Wednesday that the Cambodian military has been strictly adhering to the ceasefire agreement and that there had been two ceasefire violations by Thai forces since the agreement took effect. He did not elaborate on the violations.

Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border.

Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand’s domestic politics.

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Sopheng Cheang reported from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.