Bangkok (EFE).- Thailand and Cambodia on Wednesday begin four days of negotiations in a bid to find a peaceful resolution to the military clashes along their border, which have claimed at least 86 lives since Dec. 7.
Public broadcaster Thai PBS reported on Wednesday that both sides agreed to extend the talks through Friday at the request of the General Border Committee, a security mechanism previously used to agree on measures aimed at preserving peace in border areas.
The talks, the outlet said, will take place at a technical level between military officials and government representatives. An eventual peace agreement is expected to be signed on Saturday by the defense chiefs, who would then hold a press conference.
Thailand is attending the General Border Committee meetings with three demands: that Cambodia declare a ceasefire first, that this announcement be sustained and verified by observers, and that the neighboring country demonstrate serious and sincere cooperation in mine clearance along the border.
Cambodia’s Information Minister Neth Pheaktra confirmed to EFE that the talks will begin Wednesday and said Phnom Penh intends for Saturday’s meeting between the defense ministers to take place in Pailin province on the border. That proposal has not yet been agreed.
Despite Cambodia’s requests to hold the negotiations in Malaysia, Thailand insisted on keeping them in Chanthaburi province on its side of the border, arguing that the conflict should be addressed bilaterally without third party involvement.
According to the Thai armed forces, 42 civilians and 23 soldiers have been killed in the fighting as part of the long standing territorial dispute with Cambodia. Phnom Penh reports 21 civilian deaths and has not disclosed military casualties, according to the latest statements released Wednesday.
While Bangkok puts the number of displaced Thais at more than 160,000, Phnom Penh has counted nearly 550,000 after almost three weeks of hostilities along the roughly 820 kilometer border.
Mutual accusations persist on both sides as the General Border Committee finalizes details to begin the negotiations.
The two Southeast Asian countries have a long running dispute over sovereignty of several areas along their shared border, which was mapped by France in 1907, when Cambodia was part of French Indochina.
hp/efs/tw
