Cambodia says Thai troops still occupy civilian areas, testing December truce

Highlights:

• Foreign minister urges Thailand to honour ceasefire terms
• Thailand dismisses occupation accusations as 'baseless'
• Cambodia seeks more talks with Thailand, minister says
• Says China made 'active contribution' to peace effort

Thailand's military continues to occupy civilian areas in Cambodia, having barricaded some with barbed wire and shipping containers, posing a risk to a truce between the neighbours who clashed twice last year, the Cambodian foreign minister said.

Up to 4,000 Cambodian families are unable to return to homes along the disputed frontier because of the Thai incursions, Prak Sokhonn told Reuters, despite a December agreement that halted weeks of fierce border clashes.

"The Thai military is still occupying territories well inside Cambodia," he said on Tuesday in a rare interview from Phnom Penh, the capital, listing at least four border locations as incursion sites.

"The situation remains calm, but there are some risks as well. So we hope that Thailand will remain committed to the full implementation of the ceasefire."

In response to questions from Reuters, Thai military and government officials referred to a 12 January statement by Thailand's foreign ministry that dismissed Cambodia's accusations as "baseless".

"The maintenance of current troop positions following the ceasefire constitutes direct compliance with agreed de-escalation measures," the Thai ministry said. "This cannot be misconstrued as territorial occupation."

With fighter jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages, the two neighbours battled for 20 days in December, following a July round of clashes that ended after calls by US President Donald Trump.

Boundary talks

The December fighting killed 101 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides, in the latest flare-up of a century-old dispute between the countries that has occasionally exploded into conflict.

In recent weeks, Cambodia has asked Thailand for a meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission, a two-way effort to demarcate the border, but Bangkok has not confirmed its participation, according to Prak Sokhonn.

"The occupied village (issue) will be a priority for us because we need to solve those problems in order to allow our people to go back home," he said.

Thailand's foreign ministry said it was finalising internal procedures for the talks, which would happen after a new government takes office following a 8 February election.

"The Thai side reiterates its full commitment to resolving differences through bilateral mechanisms and intends to resume JBC activities at the earliest," it added.

Besides an understanding not to beef up troops on both sides of the border, the 27 December truce also agreed on the return of displaced civilians.

"The two waves of fighting have caused a lot of damage, to both civilian life and infrastructure," Prak Sokhonn added, destroying bridges, schools, pagodas, roads, and buildings.

Chinese efforts

Although Trump was instrumental in halting the July clashes and then oversaw the signing of a wider ceasefire deal in October, his calls proved unsuccessful in immediately ending the second bout of fighting.

Besides efforts by Trump and Malaysian premier Anwar Ibrahim, Prak Sokhonn also outlined China's involvement in the latest truce, such as key visits by a special envoy to Bangkok and Phnom Penh in late December.

"He met our prime minister, our defence minister, myself," he said, also outlining similar meetings on the Thai side.

"So it was a very, let's say, active contribution from China."

Two days after the latest ceasefire, the top diplomats of China, Thailand and Cambodia met in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, where the combatants agreed to rebuild mutual trust.