NewzVille International
Southeast Asian foreign ministers met in Malaysia on Monday seeking to end border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that have killed at least 40 people and displaced more than half a million this month.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members Thailand and Cambodia attended the gathering, marking the first face-to-face meeting between the governments since fighting resumed on December 8.
Bangkok and Phnom Penh accuse each other of actions that led to the breakdown of a July ceasefire and a wider peace deal reached in October. Heavy exchanges of fire have occurred along many disputed areas of the 817-kilometre land border, from forested inland regions near Laos to coastal provinces.
Thai Foreign Minister called for de-mining of the border to allow a ceasefire to take hold. Officials from Thailand and Cambodia are scheduled to meet again on December 24 to discuss the next steps.
