JAKARTA - The situation along the Cambodian-Thai border was reported to remain calm for the second consecutive day on Sunday, December 28, following a ceasefire agreement reached by the two countries after nearly three weeks of deadly clashes.
Cambodian National Defense Ministry Spokesperson Lieutenant General Maly Socheata said conditions on the front lines have remained stable since Saturday afternoon, when the official ceasefire came into effect.
"The situation in the border area has remained calm and under control since the ceasefire came into effect," Maly Socheata told the press, as reported by the official news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse, quoted Sunday, December 28.
The Thai military also confirmed the easing of violence in the border region. However, according to a report by the Thai media Khaosod, there is still limited movement in a number of points.
The ceasefire agreement signed on Saturday ended nearly 20 days of armed clashes between the two countries.
The conflict has killed dozens of people and forced nearly a million civilians to flee the disputed border region.
In the ceasefire agreement, Cambodia and Thailand agreed to stop all hostilities using any weapons.
Both parties also committed to avoiding unprovoked firing, troop movements, and military maneuvers towards the opponent's position.
In addition, the two countries agreed to maintain the existing number of troops and not send additional reinforcements to the border area to prevent an escalation of the conflict.
As part of the deal, Thailand said it would repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers detained since last July, after a 72-hour full ceasefire without violations.
Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on Monday in a trilateral meeting facilitated by China in Yunnan Province, southwest China. The meeting will discuss the next steps after the ceasefire.
During the nearly 20 days of clashes since the conflict resumed on December 8, about 99 people were reported dead. The conflict began a day after a border incident that injured two Thai soldiers.
Thai authorities recorded 26 soldiers and one Thai civilian were killed in the conflict. In addition, 41 other civilians died as a result of the indirect impact of the battle.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian Ministry of the Interior reported that at least 31 Cambodian civilians were also casualties.
Thailand and Cambodia are known to have a long-running border dispute that often triggers violence. The last major clash occurred in July and killed at least 48 people.
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