Thailand and Cambodia discussed a possible ceasefire on Friday, but the fighting at the border between the two countries has flared up again. Both parties claim to be acting in self-defense and call on each other to cease fighting and negotiate.
According to authorities, at least 33 people have died in the conflict between the two countries, writes news agency Reuters. Thailand reports twenty deaths and Cambodia thirteen. More than 130,000 people are said to have been displaced.
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors on Friday evening. Mediator Malaysia called for an end to hostilities. Cambodia is also said to have called for an immediate ceasefire.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that it was considering a Malaysian proposal for a ceasefire. It must be based on “appropriate circumstances on the ground,” the ministry said. The country has not provided clarity on what those circumstances are.
Thailand and Cambodia have been arguing over the border for more than a hundred years. The countries have been facing each other since the death of a Cambodian soldier at the end of May. The conflict flared up last Thursday.