Cambodia seeks immediate ceasefire talks at GBC meeting

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha has called for an immediate ceasefire and full respect for, and implementation of, the ceasefire agreement signed by Thailand and Cambodia in Kuala Lumpur on July 26, as well as the Joint Declaration of October 26, including other agreements reached under this framework.

Tea Seiha’s proposal for an immediate end to hostilities was outlined in a letter, dated December 22, sent to his Thai counterpart, General Nattaphon Nakpanich.

In the letter, the Cambodian defence minister called for the safe and dignified return — without obstruction — of civilians residing in the affected border areas to their homes and normal livelihoods, as they existed prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

He also called for a peaceful settlement of disputes through the immediate resumption of the full implementation of the October 26 Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration, along with the urgent reactivation of existing mechanisms under this framework, including border demarcation, humanitarian demining, and the strengthening of the role of the ASEAN Observer Team in ensuring the implementation and verification of the ceasefire and other agreements reached under the KL Joint Declaration.

Responding to the Cambodian defence minister’s call for an immediate ceasefire and full implementation of the Kuala Lumpur ceasefire agreement, the Thai Supreme Command reaffirmed Thailand’s position that Cambodia must first meet the three conditions earlier set by Thailand.

These are: Cambodia must first declare a ceasefire; the ceasefire must be genuine and sustained, with observers in place; and Cambodia must cooperate seriously and in good faith on mine clearance.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the meeting of the secretariats of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee in Chanthaburi province this evening ended after about two hours and will resume tomorrow.