The China Mail - Cambodia-Thailand truce broadly holds despite shaky start

Following peace talks in Malaysia on Monday, both sides agreed an unconditional ceasefire would start at midnight to end deadly fighting over a smattering of ancient temples in disputed zones along their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border.

The Thai military said Tuesday that Cambodian troops "had launched armed attacks into several areas" in "a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust", but said clashes later stopped.

Cambodia's defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata insisted there had been "no armed clashes against each other in any regions".

Both sides said morning meetings between rival military commanders along the border -- scheduled as part of the pact -- had gone ahead.

In the Thai village of Ta Miang, seven kilometres from the frontier, Wanta Putmo said constant blasts for the last five days had stopped her from sleeping in the cramped bunker she had shared with nine others.

"I feel a little relieved, but not completely," the 68-year-old farmer told AFP, after surviving mostly on canned fish and instant noodles donated by a local monk.

"Maybe if I don't hear gunfire and shellings tomorrow, I might finally feel at ease and go back home," she added.

- 'A minor skirmish' -

Thailand's army said three meetings on the frontier had seen senior officers agree to de-escalation measures including "a halt on troop reinforcements or movements that could lead to misunderstandings".

But the Thai military also said it had captured 18 Cambodian troops in post-ceasefire fighting "after Cambodian forces launched heavy and indirect fire into Thai territory".

Late on Tuesday, it also reported fresh clashes with small arms and grenades at two border flashpoints.

Earlier in the day a foreign affairs spokeswoman for Bangkok's border crisis centre, Maratee Nalita Andamo, warned: "In this moment, in the early days of the ceasefire, the situation is still fragile".

Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai shook hands over the ceasefire deal Monday at peace talks hosted by Malaysia and attended by delegates from the United States and China.

"I saw photos of the two leaders shaking hands," said 32-year-old pharmacy worker Kittisak Sukwilai in the Thai city of Surin -- 50 kilometres from the border.

"I hope it's not just a photo op with fake smiles -- and that those hands aren't actually preparing to stab each other in the back."

Speaking to reporters on a visit to Indonesia, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said "a minor skirmish" between Cambodia and Thailand after the ceasefire deadline had "resolved when the commanders met".

An AFP journalist near the Cambodian border said the sound of blasts stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight, with the lull continuing into Tuesday evening.

Jets, rockets and artillery have killed at least 43 people since Thursday and displaced more than 300,000 -- prompting intervention from US President Donald Trump over the weekend.

The flare-up has surpassed the death toll of 28 in violence that raged sporadically from 2008 to 2011 over the territory, claimed by both nations because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia's French colonial administrators in 1907.

On the Cambodian side of the border, some evacuees were seen leaving shelter centres Tuesday to return home, but on the Thai side acting Prime Minister Phumtham urged citizens "to await official instructions" before departing.

- Trade talks -

Both countries are courting Trump to secure trade deals and avert the US president's threat of eye-watering tariffs. The US State Department said its officials had been "on the ground" to shepherd peace talks.

"I have instructed my Trade Team to restart negotiations on Trade," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, taking credit for the ceasefire deal after it was announced.

"The US and I are still in negotiations," Thailand's Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira told reporters on Tuesday. "We're still waiting for the US to decide whether to accept our proposal."

More than 188,000 people have fled Thailand's border regions, while around 140,000 have been driven from their homes in Cambodia.

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