1 hour ago

Tabby Wilson

Reuters

Cambodia’s Defence Minister Tea Seiha and Thailand’s Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit after the ceasefire was agreed during a special meeting at a border checkpoint in Chanthaburi province, Thailand

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, the defence ministers of the two countries said in a joint statement on Saturday.

Both sides have agreed to freeze all troop movements and allow civilians living in border areas to return home, halting weeks of intense border clashes that have killed at least 41 people and displaced almost a million people.

The ceasefire took effect at noon local time (05:00 GMT). Once it has held for 72 hours, 18 Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand will also be released, the statement said.

The breakthrough came after Thai and Cambodian officials held several days of talks aimed at ending fresh fighting between the two countries.

The joint statement outlines the terms of "de-escalation", which includes ceasing "attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side".

"Both sides must avoid unprovoked firing or advancement or movement of troops towards the other side’s positions or troops," the statement said.

The statement also said that the release of the 18 Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand would be conducted "in the spirit of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration", an agreement between the two countries signed at a ceremony attended by US President Donald Trump in October.

That ceasefire agreement was broken earlier this month, when fresh clashes erupted.

Both sides have since blamed each other for the breakdown of the truce.

The Thai army said its troops had responded to Cambodian fire in Thailand’s Si Sa Ket province, in which two Thai soldiers were injured.

Cambodia’s defence ministry said it was Thai forces that had attacked first, in Preah Vihear province, and insisted that Cambodia did not retaliate.

Clashes have continued throughout December. On Friday, Thailand carried out air strikes on a disputed border region in Cambodia.

The Thai Air Force said it had hit a Cambodian "fortified military position" after civilians had left the area. Cambodia’s defence ministry said the strikes were "indiscriminate attacks" against civilian houses.

AP

Almost one million people have been displaced since hostilities resumed earlier this month

Border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia date back more than a century, but tensions ramped up in May this year when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash.

Two months later, in July, there were five days of intense fighting along the border, which left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead. Thousands more civilians were displaced.

Following an intervention from Malaysia and US President Donald Trump, a fragile ceasefire was negotiated between the two nations, and signed in late October.

Trump dubbed the agreement the "Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords". It mandated both sides to withdraw their heavy weapons from the disputed region, and to establish an interim observer team to monitor it.

However, the agreement was paused by Thailand in November, with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announcing that the security threat had "not actually decreased".

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