Thailand and Cambodia reach ceasefire

(Patria) - Thailand and Cambodia announced that they have signed a ceasefire agreement to end weeks of fierce fighting along their common border, in which more than 100 people were killed and more than half a million civilians displaced in both countries.

"Both sides have agreed to an immediate cessation of hostilities following the signing of this Joint Statement," the defense ministers of Thailand and Cambodia said in a statement. They also agreed to maintain existing troop deployments, without further movement.

The ceasefire came into effect on Saturday at noon local time and applies to "all types of weapons," as well as attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructure, and military targets - "in all cases and in all areas," N1 reports.

The agreement, signed by the defense ministers of the two countries, ends 20 days of fighting, the fiercest between these two neighbors in recent years. As part of the deal, Thailand has agreed to return 18 Cambodian soldiers captured in earlier conflicts within 72 hours, after the ceasefire is fully respected.

The two sides also pledged to refrain from "provocative actions that could escalate tensions" and not to spread "disinformation," with the aim of calming the situation. The implementation of the agreement will be monitored by a team of ASEAN observers, and the countries have also agreed to maintain open communication channels to resolve possible problems on the ground.

According to Baig, the next 72 hours will be crucial for the success of the ceasefire, and it is unlikely that hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians will return home before they are convinced that the situation is safe.

The conflict stems from a long-standing territorial dispute along the 800-kilometer-long border, where both countries claim ancient temples, and the colonial-era borders have caused dissatisfaction for more than a century. The latest wave of violence followed the violation of a previously reached ceasefire - mediated by the US, China, and Malaysia - earlier this month, with both sides accusing each other of attacking civilians.