KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is spearheading urgent diplomatic efforts to de-escalate escalating border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announcing a postponement of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to allow tensions to cool. Both nations requested the delay of the December 16 gathering, now rescheduled for December 22, as fighting intensified along disputed frontiers.
“We are still coordinating and monitoring efforts… I am in touch with them virtually on a daily basis,” Anwar told reporters on December 15, emphasizing appeals to halt hostilities.
The fresh violence erupted after a Cambodian soldier’s death in a May skirmish, displacing hundreds of thousands and prompting multiple armed confrontations this year. On December 14, Thailand’s military mulled blocking fuel exports to Cambodia as clashes spread to coastal zones, despite a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump just days earlier.
Anwar addressed the fuel blockade threat head-on, noting “negotiations are ongoing… It is very difficult.” He reiterated Malaysia’s proposal for an ASEAN Observer Team, led by its Chief of Defence Forces, leveraging US satellite imagery to verify ceasefire compliance and deliver neutral data to ministers. Field reports and tracking would arm the rescheduled meeting with evidence, fostering regional stability amid a conflict that risks broader ASEAN fallout.