Thailand, Cambodia Agree to Deployment of ASEAN Observers, Malaysian PM Says |
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to the deployment of an observer team from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a bid to de-escalate their ongoing border conflict, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday.
In a briefing for local and international press yesterday, Anwar said that the observers would report on the border situation ahead of a planned meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers on December 22, as per the Malaysian state news agency Bernama. He added that Malaysia’s Chief of Defense Force Mohd Nizam Jaffar, who will lead the ASEAN Observer Teams, planned to depart for the border in the coming days.
Anwar said that although the date for the meeting had been agreed earlier – it was initially planned for December 16 – both prime ministers had initially cautioned against holding talks too soon if tensions on the ground were not eased, Bernama reported. According to earlier reports, Thailand requested the postponement of the meeting until December 22.
“You see, among warring factions, it is always difficult to get people to come and sit down and talk. Here, because it is initiated by Malaysia and ASEAN, they have agreed to attend,” he said.
Anwar’s comment came as the conflict entered its 11th day, following the outbreak of fighting on December 7. During that time, heavy fighting has expanded to nearly........