Cambodian, Thai military commanders agree to ceasefire over border row

PHNOM PENH, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian and Thai military commanders on Wednesday agreed to a ceasefire again, Lt Gen Chhum Socheat, the spokesman for Cambodian Ministry of Defense, said Wednesday.

The latest ceasefire promise was made on Wednesday morning between Cambodian Major General Chea Mon, commander of Military Region 4, and Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakorn, commander of Thai Army Region 2, in a 30-minute meeting at O'smach border checkpoint in Oddar Meanchey province, Chhum Socheat said. "Both sides have agreed to six points."

"The most important agreed point is the ceasefire," he said, adding that both sides agreed to allow two soldiers of each side to standby at Ta Mon temple and Ta Krabei temple in order to make the situation to return to normalcy as it was before April 22.

Moreover, both sides agreed to trust on each other, and to allow all evacuated villagers to return homes.

Also, they promised to re-open O'smach and Anlong Veng border checkpoints, which had been closed since the latest fighting, Chhum Socheat said.

The latest series of bloodiest fighting between Cambodia and Thai troops happened from April 22 to May 3 at the 13th century Ta Mon temple and Ta Krabei temple, which lie 150 kilometers west of Preah Vihear Temple.

It had killed 18 people on both sides including nine Cambodian soldiers, eight Thai soldiers and one Thai civilian; and it forced nearly 100,000 civilians on both sides to flee home for safe shelters.

Both sides blamed each other for firstly triggering the attacks.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated.