Update:
Prime Minister Hun Manet said he spoke by phone with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday afternoon to discuss efforts to maintain a peaceful resolution to the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute.
Hun Manet said he thanked Anwar for his active role in talks with Thailand and reiterated that Cambodia remains committed to using channels set up under the extended truce to address border issues.
The call appears to be the second between the two leaders over the last two days amid renewed violence and casualties along the border.
“In those discussions, I sincerely appreciate the mature approach taken by Cambodians who continue to choose [a] peaceful path and give priority to solution[s] through consultation and healthy dialogue,” Anwar wrote on Facebook Friday evening. The Malaysian leader also spoke with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday.
Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry said Friday evening that it briefed diplomats and international organizations in Phnom Penh a day earlier on the Nov. 10 landmine incident that injured Thai troops along the border, as well as the shooting in the disputed Prey Chan village in Banteay Meanchey province that killed one Cambodian and injured three others.
The briefing took place a day before Malaysia’s foreign minister said ASEAN observer teams reported the recent landmine blast was caused by a newly laid device.
Malaysia’s foreign minister said Thursday the landmines that maimed Thai soldiers along the Cambodia-Thailand border this week were newly laid. The statement, which raises questions about Phnom Penh’s previous denials of planting new mines, comes as an expanded truce between the neighbors begins to collapse amid fresh violence and casualties.
Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told Malaysian media that ASEAN observer teams in both countries reported the mines were new. The disclosure follows a separate border incident on Wednesday in which one Cambodian civilian was killed and three others wounded by gunfire that Cambodia says came from Thai forces unprovoked.
Bernama, the Malaysian outlet that reported the comments, later updated its English translation after incorrectly quoting Hasan as saying the landmines “were not new,” a version that was quickly picked up by Cambodian media.
After the Nov. 11 blast, Cambodia’s Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), which oversees demining efforts in the country, called accusations that soldiers laid fresh mines “unfounded” and “defamatory.”
“As a steadfast supporter and dedicated State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, Cambodia reaffirms that it has never used and will never use new anti-personnel mines under any circumstances,” the group said.
CamboJA News reached several Cambodian government officials for comment, most of whom said they are actively seeking to verify the ASEAN observer team reports referenced by Hasan.
Malaysia, the current chair of the ASEAN bloc, has played a central role in ceasefire efforts alongside the U.S. President Donald Trump. A truce, dubbed the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords by Trump, was signed by Cambodia and Thailand late last month during a bloc summit intended to end a border dispute that erupted into open conflict in July, killing dozens and displacing hundreds or thousands on both sides. Thailand has since suspended the agreement.
Monday’s landmine blast marks the seventh instance of mines maiming Thai soldiers along the shared border since July.
Reuters reported last month that the mines that helped spark clashes were likely newly laid, based on expert analysis of material shared by Thailand’s military.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibriham also spoke with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his Thai counterpart Anutin Charnviraku Thursday in a bid to salvage the peace accord.
Both Manet and Anutin “provided positive feedback and reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing a peaceful resolution,” in line with the Oct. 26 agreement, Anwar wrote in a social media post.
For its part, China’s ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement Thursday in the aftermath of the landmine blast and shooting in Prey Chan, saying it hopes the “two sides will exercise restraint” and find a solution to prevent further escalation.
The U.S. has yet to issue a statement on the breakdown of the truce.
Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona did not immediately respond to request for comment.
As tensions flare once again between the neighbors, borderland communities are feeling the pressure, with 300 Cambodian families already evacuated from the disputed Prey Chan village since Thursday.
