Bangkok - Thailand’s army accused Cambodia of violating the countries’ hours-old truce agreement on July 29, saying clashes continued despite a deal to pause combat along their jungle frontier.

Following peace talks in Malaysia on July 28, both sides agreed an unconditional ceasefire would start at midnight to end fighting over a smattering of ancient temples in disputed zones along their 800km border.

“At the time the agreement took effect, the Thai side detected that Cambodian forces had launched armed attacks into several areas within Thai territory,” said Thai army spokesman Winthai Suwaree.

“This constitutes a deliberate violation of the agreement and a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust,” he added in a statement.

“Thailand is compelled to respond appropriately, exercising its legitimate right to self-defence.”

The truce agreement between Thailand and Cambodia

came into effect in the early hours of July 29, in a test of whether it will halt five days of open combat that has engulfed the two nations’ jungle-clad frontier.

Cambodia’s Defence Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata insisted there had been “no armed clashes against each other in any regions”.

However, both sides said morning meetings scheduled between opposing regional commanders along the border as part of the truce pact had either begun or were still scheduled to start.

In Cambodia’s Samraong city – 20km from the border – an AFP journalist heard the steady drumbeat of artillery strikes throughout July 28, before blast sounds stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight, with the lull continuing for 30 minutes after.

Elsewhere, Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, which has seen some of the most intense combat, was still quiet 20 minutes after the truce was scheduled to begin, its governor Kim Rithy said on Facebook.

Jets, rockets and artillery have killed at least 38 people since July 24 and displaced nearly 300,000 more – prompting intervention from US President Donald Trump over the weekend.

The flare-up was the deadliest since violence raged sporadically from 2008-2011 over the territory, claimed by both because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia’s French colonial administrators in 1907.

The peace deal is set to see military commanders from both sides meet at 7am, before a cross-border committee is convened in Cambodia to further salve tensions on Aug 4.

“When I heard the news, I was so happy because I miss my home and my belongings that I left behind,” Mr Phean Neth said on the evening of July 28 at a sprawling camp for Cambodian evacuees on a temple site away from the fighting.

“I am so happy that I can’t describe it,” said the 45-year-old.

Good faith

A joint statement from both countries – as well as Malaysia, which hosted the peace talks – said the ceasefire was “a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security”.

A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on the evening of July 28 that “he urges both countries to respect the agreement fully and to create an environment conducive to addressing longstanding issues and achieving lasting peace”.

Both sides are courting Mr Trump for trade deals to avert his threat of eye-watering tariffs, and the US State Department said its officials had been “on the ground” to shepherd peace talks.

The joint statement said China also had “active participation” in the talks, hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister and Asean bloc chair Anwar Ibrahim in his country’s administrative capital Putrajaya.

Mr Hun Manet thanked Mr Trump for his “decisive” support, while his counterpart, Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, said it should be “carried out in good faith by both sides”.

In the city of Surin, Thai evacuee Prapakarn Samruamjit, 43, said : “If they say they’ll stop firing, they must stop completely.”

Post-truce tariff deals

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn marked his 73rd birthday on July 28, but a notice in the country’s Royal Gazette said public celebrations scheduled for Bangkok’s Grand Palace had been cancelled amid the strife.

Each side had already agreed to a truce in principle, while accusing the other of undermining peace efforts and trading allegations about the use of cluster bombs and targeting of hospitals.

Thailand says 11 of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed only eight civilian and five military deaths.

More than 138,000 people have fled Thailand’s border regions, while around 140,000 have been driven from their homes in Cambodia. AFP

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