KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Officials from the United States (US) State Department are in Malaysia to assist high-level peace talks between Cambodia and Thailand, scheduled for Monday, in a bid to achieve an immediate ceasefire, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“State Department officials are on the ground in Malaysia to assist these peace efforts,” he said in a statement posted on the US Department of State website.
Rubio said both he and President Donald Trump remain engaged with their respective counterparts in each country and are monitoring the situation very closely.
“We want this conflict to end as soon as possible,” he said.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai separately confirmed on Sunday that they would attend the peace talks to seek an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing hostilities at the Cambodian-Thai border.
The meeting, expected to be chaired by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his capacity as the current ASEAN Chair, will take place in Putrajaya on Monday afternoon.
Malaysia currently holds the ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025, marking the country’s fifth time at the helm of the regional grouping, after previous tenures in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.
The latest border dispute escalation erupted on July 24, with armed clashes reported along Cambodia’s northern border region and fatalities on both sides.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have been rising since May 28 following a confrontation between soldiers near the disputed Preah Vihear border area, which claimed the life of a Cambodian soldier.
The two Southeast Asian neighbours have long disputed an 817-kilometre undemarcated stretch of their shared border, which has remained a persistent source of tension and diplomatic strain.
