Thailand, Cambodia must 'stand down' over border clash: Malaysian PM

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called on Thailand and Cambodia to "stand down" Thursday following deadly border clashes between the two Southeast Asian neighbours.

"The least we can expect is for them to stand down and hopefully try to enter into negotiation," said Anwar, whose country currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which includes Cambodia and Thailand.

Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets on Thursday as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery in a dramatic escalation of a long-running border row between the two countries.



The neighbours are locked in a bitter spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, and which is home to several ancient temples.

Cambodian cross-border strikes Thursday have killed at least 11 civilians, most of them in a rocket strike near a petrol station in Sisaket province, the Thai ministry of public health said.

"The development is concerning. They are important members of ASEAN. They are very close to Malaysia and I've given messages to both PMs. I'm looking forward to speaking to both of them this evening," Anwar told reporters.

"Peace is the only option available."

The clashes on Thursday came just two weeks after ASEAN foreign ministers met in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, together with their counterparts from major powers like the United States and China.

The Thailand-Cambodia squabble has dragged on for decades, flaring into bloody military clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight.

Also read: Thailand-Cambodia border dispute live updates

The conflict blazed up on Thursday, with Cambodia firing rockets and artillery shells into Thailand and the Thai military scrambling F-16 jets to carry out air strikes.

ASEAN's other members are Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.