ASEAN to seek resolution to Thailand-Cambodia conflict
Foreign ministers from Southeast Asia are set to meet in Malaysia on Monday in an urgent effort to contain escalating clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that have left at least 40 people dead and forced more than half a million residents from their homes this month.
The meeting in Kuala Lumpur, convened under Malaysia’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), aims to revive a fragile ceasefire brokered earlier this year by Malaysia with support from US President Donald Trump. That truce collapsed within weeks, giving way to renewed hostilities along the two countries’ disputed frontier.
Thailand and Cambodia will both be represented at the talks, marking their first face-to-face engagement since fighting flared again on December 8. The clashes have involved artillery duels and troop movements across several flashpoints along their 817-kilometre shared border, stretching from forested areas near Laos to coastal regions along the Gulf of Thailand.
Bangkok and Phnom Penh have traded accusations over responsibility for the breakdown of the July ceasefire and a broader peace understanding reached in October. Each side claims the other violated agreed terms, deepening mistrust and complicating diplomatic efforts.
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said the talks, chaired by Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, will explore concrete steps ASEAN can take to de-escalate tensions, restore calm and facilitate dialogue between the two neighbours. The bloc traditionally avoids direct intervention but has increasingly sought a mediating role in regional crises.
Beyond ASEAN, both the United States and China have launched parallel diplomatic initiatives to end the conflict, reflecting concerns over regional stability, though neither effort has yet produced a breakthrough.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he hopes the meeting will create space for open negotiations, allow grievances to be addressed directly and pave the way for a fair and lasting settlement, warning that prolonged fighting risks destabilising the wider region and undermining ASEAN unity.
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