PHNOM PENH (Sept 18): Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is urging Asean to encourage the effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand to ensure stability prevails in the disputed bordering areas.

“[There must be] strict adherence to the ceasefire terms and the agreement reached during the recent GBC (General Border Committee) and RBC (Regional Border Committee) meetings, and the immediate cessation of all unilateral actions that risk escalating tensions and widening the conflict,” he said in a letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Cambodia’s Foreign and International Cooperation Ministry revealed the details of the letter in a press release on Wednesday.

Manet had also written to Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump, and the United Nations.

Sporadic disputes have erupted in a long-standing rivalry between the two Asean members over the control of the territories along the 817km border that has yet to be clearly demarcated.

Matters came to a head on July 24 with armed clashes that lasted for five days. Nearly 150,000 Cambodian civilians were displaced in the conflict.

On July 28, Cambodia and Thailand reached a peace deal brokered by Malaysia with the support of the US and China. An Extraordinary General Border Committee meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 7 to solidify the peace agreement. 

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