PUTRAJAYA – Cambodia and Thailand have committed to attending a special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur on December 22 to defuse escalating border tensions, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced Wednesday.
The session, postponed from December 16 after concerns it was premature, aims to halt frontline offensives and secure a truce along the disputed frontier. “We are appealing to them to immediately stop this front-line offensive, and if possible, an immediate ceasefire,” Anwar told editors-in-chief at Seri Perdana. He noted both nations resist the “ceasefire” label but urged observance of a truce.
Anwar, speaking after daily communications with ASEAN counterparts, revealed the decision followed a call from US President Donald Trump. “Trump called and updated me. I told President Trump that it is important to convince them to stop the offensive,” he said. Malaysia’s Chief of Defence Force will soon join an ASEAN Observers Team at the border for military-level engagement.
Both sides expressed eagerness for an amicable resolution, leaving Anwar “cautiously optimistic” about sealing an understanding by December 22. Tensions reignited despite the October KL Peace Accord, which Thailand suspended in November after its soldiers suffered landmine injuries.