Cambodia Requested to Hold Talks in Kuala Lumpur, Rejected by Thailand

(Bangkok/Phnom Penh, 24th) For security reasons, Cambodia proposed to hold bilateral talks in a neutral third-party country, but on Tuesday (December 23), Thailand rejected Cambodia's request, insisting on holding the talks at the originally scheduled venue inside Thailand.
On Monday (22nd), Thailand and Cambodia agreed at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Special Meeting to hold negotiations this week regarding a ceasefire. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak said that the Joint Border Affairs Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday (24th) in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand.

However, Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha stated in a letter to Thai Defense Minister Sutin that, for security considerations, he requested to move the talks to Kuala Lumpur.
In the letter, Tea Seiha wrote: "In view of the ongoing conflict in the border area and for security reasons, this meeting should be held at a secure and neutral location." He said that Malaysia, as the current chair of ASEAN, has already agreed to host this meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
AFP obtained this letter on Tuesday and has confirmed with the Cambodian Ministry of Defense that the letter was dated Monday.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasak told reporters: "We guarantee that Chanthaburi is safe. Even before the conflict broke out, this was the designated venue for the border committee."
Surasak said the talks will last from Wednesday through Saturday (27th), and whether they proceed depends on the Cambodian side.

Sutin told reporters on Tuesday that the last border committee meeting was held in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia, so this time it is Thailand's turn to host. He added that Thailand handles military and diplomatic affairs separately, so there is no need to worry.
However, Sutin also said that as long as Cambodia does not stop the attacks, Thai troops will continue to fight.
The new round of border conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand has now entered its 17th day. Cambodian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Mari Sukcheta said that as of Tuesday morning, Thai troops continued to use artillery and tank machine guns to fire at multiple targets inside Cambodia.
She said the death toll among Cambodian civilians has risen to 21, including a baby, and another 83 people have been injured.
Latest data from the Cambodian Ministry of Interior shows that the conflict has forced about 545,000 Cambodian civilians to flee their homes.

From last Thursday until this Tuesday (18th to 23rd), Chinese Foreign Ministry's Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Deng Xijun visited Cambodia and Thailand for shuttle mediation regarding the recent border conflict between the two countries.
Deng Xijun said the Chinese side feels deep sorrow over the casualties and displaced people caused by the conflict, and expressed sincere condolences. He emphasized that the immediate priority for Thailand and Cambodia is to ceasefire and stop the fighting as soon as possible, resume dialogue, and resolve the border dispute through peaceful means.
"China supports ASEAN's mediation efforts and supports the important role of an ASEAN observer group in monitoring the ceasefire. China is also willing to once again create conditions and provide a platform for dialogue and negotiations between the two sides."
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikonde said on Tuesday that Thailand appreciates China's contribution to easing tensions and lowering the temperature over the Thai-Cambodian border conflict.