Thailand and Cambodia still fighting
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The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire, according to a social media post by United States President Donald Trump on Saturday.
Thailand warned its conflict with neighboring Cambodia could “potentially develop into a war” as troops used rockets and artillery to shell targets along their contested border for a second
Of course, trouble at the 508-mile (817 km) shared border is nothing new. For over a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points in the thick jungle punctuated with culturally-significant temples albeit with scant strategic or economic value.
Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire for a second day on Friday as border fighting intensified and spread, while Cambodia's leader said Thailand had agreed to a Malaysian ceasefire proposal but then backed down.
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China faces a delicate balancing act as it decides what role it should play in the ongoing border hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia, two South-east Asian nations that are its close neighbours and which it wields strong influence over.
Thailand bombed Cambodia with F-16 fighter jets on Thursday, as relations between the two countries imploded following clashes on a disputed border near the Emerald Triangle.
Thailand favours bilateral negotiation rather than third-party mediation to resolve its military conflict with Cambodia, two Thai officials said, as fighting along their disputed border continued unabated.
The conflict over the shared border between the two countries grew on Saturday, in the deadliest conflict between them in more than a decade.
Residents in Thailand's Surin province bordering Cambodia ran for cover as the neighbouring countries exchanged fire, with weeks of tension over a border dispute escalating into clashes that have killed at least two civilians.
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