KUALA LUMPUR: After weeks of rising tension along the Cambodia–Thailand border, a fresh attempt at diplomacy is set to unfold in Kuala Lumpur later this month.
Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to sit down for a special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Dec 22, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said, offering a glimmer of hope that calm can be restored to the troubled frontier.
The meeting was originally planned for Dec 16, but regional leaders urged patience, warning that emotions on the ground were still running high. “Most prime ministers felt it was too soon,” Anwar told editors-in-chief during a briefing at Seri Perdana on Wednesday. “They suggested we give things a bit more time and meet on Dec 22 instead. The foreign ministers will come together to talk this through.”
At the heart of the talks is a simple but urgent appeal: stop the fighting. “We are asking both sides to immediately halt the frontline offensive and, if possible, observe a ceasefire,” Anwar said. He noted, however, that even the language of peace can be delicate. “They are uncomfortable with the word ‘ceasefire’ because it suggests a formal agreement. So, I have urged them to at least observe a truce.”
Anwar was careful to stress that Malaysia is not issuing orders to its ASEAN partners. Instead, Putrajaya has been working quietly but persistently behind the scenes, staying in daily contact with regional leaders to keep communication lines open.
The push for talks has also drawn international attention. Anwar revealed that the decision to convene the meeting followed a phone call from United States President Donald Trump. “He updated me, and I told him how important it is to persuade both sides to stop the offensive,” Anwar said.
There are signs of progress. Both Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to the deployment of an ASEAN Observers Team, and Malaysia’s Chief of Defence Force is expected to travel to the border in the coming days to continue discussions at the military level.
“I am cautiously optimistic,” Anwar said. “When I spoke to both prime ministers, they were keen to reach an amicable solution as soon as possible. Hopefully, by Dec 22, we can finalise this understanding.”
The stakes are high. Fresh clashes have erupted along the border despite the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord signed in October. That agreement was suspended in November after Thai soldiers were injured by landmines, reopening old wounds in a long-disputed area.
For now, the region is watching closely, hoping that dialogue in Kuala Lumpur can succeed where guns and landmines have failed.
