A source told RFA that fierce gunfights heard near the Ta Muan Thom and Ta Kwai temples stopped at midnight. An Agence France-Presse reporter in the Cambodian city of Samraong, which sits 20 kilometers from the border, said the steady stream of artillery strikes heard all day Monday stopped in the 30 minutes leading to midnight.
The ceasefire deal came after negotiations on Monday hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the current chair of the ASEAN regional bloc. There was pressure for a deal from outside the region: U.S. President Donald Trump warned over the weekend that the border conflict could stall U.S. trade deals with both countries.
As part of the ceasefire, Cambodian and Thai military commanders will kick off talks on Tuesday to reduce tensions. The deal also sets an Aug. 4 meeting for the General Border Committee hosted by Cambodia and requires the foreign and defense ministers of Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia to develop mechanisms to implement and monitor the truce.
At a press conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Vejjayachai of Thailand shook hands and hailed the outcome.
“Today we have a very good meeting and very good results … that hope to stop immediately the fighting that has caused many lives lost, injuries, and also caused the displacement of people,” said Hun Manet, who offered thanks to Trump and China, which had also urged an end to hostilities and offered its assistance.
Phumtham said the deal would be “carried out successfully in good faith by both sides.”
