Both sides agree to an immediate ceasefire from the moment this Joint Statement is signed,” the Thai and Cambodian defence ministers said in a statement on Saturday
By Asaye Bankole
Thailand and Cambodia said they have signed a ceasefire agreement to end weeks of intense fighting along their shared border, which has killed more than 100 people and forced over half a million civilians in both countries to flee their homes.
“Both sides agree to an immediate ceasefire from the moment this Joint Statement is signed,” the Thai and Cambodian defence ministers said in a statement on Saturday.
“Both sides have agreed to keep their current troop positions and refrain from any further movement,” the ministers said.
The ceasefire came into effect at noon local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday and applies to all types of weapons. It also bans attacks on civilians, civilian facilities and infrastructure, as well as military targets of either side, in all locations.
Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig, reporting from the Cambodian border city of Poipet, said that “the guns appear to have fallen silent” as both sides observed the truce.
“However, right up until the ceasefire was implemented, there was some very intense firing extremely heavy right until the last moment. That really shows how fragile the situation is,” Baig said.
“That does not give much confidence to people here who want to return home and are closely watching to see whether this ceasefire will hold,” he added.
The agreement, signed by Thai Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha, brings an end to 20 days of fighting the worst clashes between the two Southeast Asian neighbours in years.
Under the agreement, Thailand has committed to returning 18 Cambodian soldiers captured in earlier clashes within 72 hours, once the ceasefire “has been fully upheld.”
Both sides also agreed to refrain from any “provocative actions that could escalate tensions” and to avoid the “spread of false information” as part of efforts to de-escalate the situation.
The deal says observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will monitor the implementation of the agreement. It also notes that both countries have agreed to keep communication channels open to resolve any issues that may arise on the ground.
On Sunday, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn is set to travel to Yunnan, China, for a trilateral meeting with his Thai counterpart and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
According to a statement issued on Saturday, the meeting is being presented as a “confidence-building” initiative aimed at restoring peace, security and stability along the border.
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