PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia/BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH - Delegations of Thailand and Cambodia arrived at the Malaysian Prime Minister's residence in Putrajaya on Monday to discuss a ceasefire between the two countries.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told the media that concrete measures for implementing the ceasefire will be discussed in his talks with the Cambodian side.
The Thai official made the remarks ahead of his flight to Malaysia for discussions on the Thai-Cambodian border issue.
Phumtham said he is expected to meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet Monday afternoon, and the key objective is to reach an immediate ceasefire between the two sides and prevent further harm to civilians.
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Hun Manet said on late Sunday that he will attend the Malaysia meeting.
"I will lead Cambodian delegation to attend a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur," Hun Manet said in a post on his official social media platforms, adding that "the purpose of this meeting is to achieve an immediate ceasefire."
"I'd like to thank [Malaysian] Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his initiative and coordination to organize and host this special meeting," he added.
Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said on Sunday that Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will lead a delegation to Malaysia for discussions on the Thai-Cambodian border issue.
In a statement, Jirayu Houngsub said Phumtham will travel to Malaysia on Monday at the invitation of Anwar Ibrahim, prime minister of Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair.
5th day of clashes
Armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers over disputed border areas have entered the fifth day, both sides said on Monday.
Cambodian Defense Ministry's Undersecretary of State and Spokesperson Lieutenant General Maly Socheata said the Thai side opened fire first earlier in the morning, while the Thai military said Cambodian attacks continued throughout the night.
"Despite a special meeting between the heads of the two governments will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today to negotiate for a ceasefire, at 03:10 am local time, the Thai side still continued to open fire first on Cambodia in the disputed border areas until 05:07 am," Socheata said.
She said that so far, the number of Cambodian evacuees from border provinces has risen to 39,828 families with about 134,707 people.
A total of 600 schools have been closed, affecting around 150,000 students and 6,000 teachers, while approximately 400,000 Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand have returned home so far, she added.
As of Sunday, the border clashes had resulted in the deaths of 14 Thai civilians and eight soldiers, with an additional 37 civilians sustaining varying degrees of injuries. And a total of 139,646 people had been evacuated from the border risk areas, according to the Thai government.
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Also Sunday, the Thai air force sent two F-16s and two Gripens fighters to attack Cambodian military targets at around 11:00 am local time, the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand reported.
The broadcaster said the operation destroyed two Cambodian military targets.
On the same day, Winthai Suvaree, Thai army spokesperson, said that intelligence reports indicate potential deployment of high-performance weapons systems that may provide additional support to Cambodian forces.
Thailand, therefore, finds it necessary to conduct military operations in response to the continued firing of long-range support weapons such as rockets and artillery that persist in targeting Thai territory to prevent civilian casualties or losses, Winthai said.
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On Saturday, Cambodian artillery shells targeted a hospital in Si Sa Ket Province, causing severe damage to the building structure. However, there were no fatalities or injuries, as medical personnel had previously evacuated patients from the facility, he said.
Meanwhile, Cambodia has decided to postpone a Grade 12 annual exam across the country due to the ongoing border conflict with Thailand, Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said on Sunday.
"The high school graduation exam, originally scheduled for Aug 18 and 19, will be postponed to Aug 28 and 29," he said on social media.
He urged exam-takers in Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, where armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers occurred, not to worry about the exam as the education ministry clearly understood the situation.
Naron said candidates, who have fled their homes for safe areas in other provinces will be eligible to sit for exam in those provinces.