"Bangkok's air strikes on Cambodian positions in contested border pockets triggered immediate evacuations. What this sequence reveals is painfully familiar. Ceasefires in this dispute have rarely been more than pauses in a long cycle of distrust. Agreements are signed in conference halls, but the frontier itself has its own rhythm one shaped by longstanding grievances, competing national narratives and the difficulties of managing heavily armed forces operating in ambiguous terrain."
"The ceasefire endorsed at the ASEAN summit was constructed as the foundation for a broader roadmap. It committed both sides to cease hostilities, halt troop movements and gradually scale down the deployment of heavy weapons near contested areas. Crucially, it tasked ASEAN with deploying monitoring teams to observe compliance. On paper, these were sensible steps. In reality, they were grafted onto political soil that was nowhere near ready to sustain them."
Thailand resumed combat along its frontier with Cambodia, overturning a recent ASEAN-endorsed ceasefire. Bangkok conducted air strikes on Cambodian positions in contested border pockets, prompting immediate evacuations. Ceasefires in the long-running dispute have functioned as temporary pauses amid deep distrust, unsettled borders, unresolved historical claims, competing national narratives and the challenges of managing heavily armed forces in ambiguous terrain. The ASEAN-endorsed truce committed both sides to halt hostilities, stop troop movements and scale down heavy weapons, and proposed ASEAN monitoring teams to observe compliance. The truce lacked effective enforcement, so a new initiative with a clear enforcement mechanism is necessary to stabilize the frontier.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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