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| Cambodian soldiers stand guard near the Cambodia-Thailand border in Oddar Meanchey province on April 28, 2011. Hopes of an imminent ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia faded on April 27, after Bangkok pulled out of talks with its neighbour and deadly border clashes entered a sixth day.Photograph by: Stringer, AFP/Getty Images |
Agence France-Presse
SAMRONG, Cambodia - A fragile ceasefire halted the bloodiest clashes between Thailand and Cambodia in decades on Thursday, after seven days of fighting left 15 dead and around 75,000 civilians displaced.
Both sides remained cautious after local-level military negotiations produced an agreement to end hostilities around temple complexes deep in the jungle on their shared border.
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the deal was a "good sign", but added that Cambodian troops in the area had been reinforced.
"We have to wait and see whether real peace has been achieved," he told reporters.
The country's powerful army chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha said both sides would monitor the situation.
"If there is no clash before tomorrow morning the situation will be positively resolved," he said.
Cambodia, which was the first to announce a halt to fighting earlier Thursday, also struck a note of caution about the permanence of the agreement.
"The situation remains quiet for now," Cambodian field commander Suos Socheat told AFP.
"But our troops are still on alert because we don't trust them yet," he said.
The Cambodian defence ministry said in a statement that the commanders had agreed at the talks to reopen a border gate and "create a climate to allow civilians to return home".
Both countries have blamed each other for sparking the violence.
One Thai soldier died on Thursday morning, bringing the total number of the country's troops killed since the fighting began last Friday to six, while eight have died on the Cambodian side.
Bangkok has said a Thai civilian has also been killed.
Heavy weapons fire has also strayed towards villages around the frontier, causing an estimated 45,000 people in Thailand and 30,000 in Cambodia to flee their homes.
The neighbours traded accusations during the conflict, including Cambodian claims that Thailand used spy planes and poison gas — an allegation denied by Bangkok.
The countries had come under increasing international pressure to stop the violence.
Talks had previously been due to take place in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, but were called off at the last minute by Thailand's defence minister.
On Thursday Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya was in Jakarta, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, for talks with his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa. ASEAN had also urged the pair to reach a ceasefire.
The neighbours agreed to allow observers from Indonesia into the border area after a previous round of unrest in February. But the Thai military later said the monitors were not welcome and they were not deployed.
Following Thursday's meeting in Jakarta, Kasit said details of the mission had been provisionally agreed, with the caveat that Cambodian troops must withdraw from the disputed area first.
Asked how long the monitors would stay along both sides of the border, he said: "About six months, but I hope it will not have to be that long if peace returns."
The Thai-Cambodian border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from years of war in Cambodia.
On Tuesday the fighting briefly spread to the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which has been the focus of strained relations between the neighbours since it was granted UN World Heritage status in 2008.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6-square-kilometre surrounding area.
In February, 10 people were killed near Preah Vihear, which is 150 kilometres east of the two ancient temple complexes at the centre of the latest clashes.
The border clash came at a sensitive political time for Thailand, with the country's premier preparing to dissolve the lower house of parliament for elections he has said will be held by early July.
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