Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to attend a special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Dec 22 in Kuala Lumpur to initiate talks aimed at preventing further escalation along their disputed border, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday.

According to The Straits Times, the special meeting was originally scheduled for Dec 16 but was postponed after several ASEAN leaders expressed concerns that it would be premature given the heightened tensions on the ground.

“Most prime ministers alerted me, saying that probably it is too soon to hold a meeting before tensions can ease,” Anwar said during a briefing with editors-in-chief at Seri Perdana on Dec 17. “So, they proposed for it to be on Dec 22 in KL. My understanding is that the foreign ministers will come and deliberate on this.”

The Malaysian leader said the primary objective of the meeting is to persuade both Cambodia and Thailand to halt any actions that could further inflame the situation along the disputed frontier.

“We are appealing to them to immediately stop this front-line offensive, and if possible, an immediate ceasefire,” Anwar said, as quoted by The Straits Times.

However, he noted that both parties have reservations about the term “ceasefire”, as it could be interpreted as formal acknowledgment of a conflict. Instead, Malaysia has framed its appeal as a call for restraint.

“They don’t like the term ‘ceasefire’ because it will connote their agreement. So, if you look at my statement, I urge the parties to observe this truce,” he added.

Malaysia currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship and has been actively engaging regional leaders to de-escalate the situation amid growing concerns that renewed clashes could undermine regional stability.

BOB Post