With heightened tensions at the Cambodia–Thailand border, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that American envoys are presently in Malaysia to assist in mediation between the two countries.
Speaking in a statement on Sunday, Rubio asserted, "Cambodia and Thailand are set to commence high-level negotiations in Malaysia soon with the hopes of achieving a short-term ceasefire. State Department personnel are on the ground in Malaysia to support these peace initiatives."
He added that he and President Donald Trump continue actively to oversee the developments. "Both President Donald Trump and I remain engaged with our respective counterparts for each country and are monitoring the situation very closely. We want this conflict to end as soon as possible," he said.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have escalated in recent days with each accusing the other of launching artillery shelling along their disputed border. The talks in Kuala Lumpur represent the first high-level diplomatic effort to calm the worst violence between the two Southeast Asian nations in over a decade.
The crisis erupted in late May after a Cambodian soldier died in a brief shootout. Both countries responded by increasing their military presence along the contested border, which created complications at the diplomatic level that almost destabilized Thailand's vulnerable coalition government. Fresh fighting last Thursday turned fatal and further escalated the situation.
The conflict has so far killed over 30 people, 13 of them civilians in Thailand and 8 in Cambodia. More than 200,000 others, according to authorities, have been forced away from the border regions because of the turmoil.
Trump Warns of Trade Repercussions
President Trump announced on Sunday that the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand both consented to sit down and negotiate after stern warnings that the conflict would endanger their trade relationships with the United States.
Trump spoke directly with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and urged both of them to stop the fighting.
I made it very clear to both leaders that if the fighting continues, we will not proceed with any trade negotiations. We feel that both countries desire peace, and we're doing all we can to facilitate that," Trump wrote in a Truth Social message.
Still, diplomacy efforts aside, both governments went back and forth with accusations on Sunday, each accusing the other of shelling across the border earlier in the day.
Cambodian and Thai delegations will sit down face-to-face in Kuala Lumpur on Monday for bilateral peace talks, as per official announcements. Thailand's acting PM Phumtham Wechayachai will head the country's team of negotiators. The meeting is due to take place at 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT).
