KUALA LUMPUR – Thailand and Cambodia’s leaders agreed on July 28 to an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” after five days of combat along their jungle-clad frontier that has killed at least 35 people.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who mediated the talks in Kuala Lumpur, said in a news conference that the ceasefire would take effect at first light on July 29.

“This is a vital first step towards a de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security,” Datuk Seri Anwar said.

He said once the ceasefire takes effect, senior military officials from both sides would convene an “informal meeting”.

That would be followed by a meeting of Asean’s defence attaches, “if both sides are agreeable”, to hammer out a more permanent solution to the conflict, said Mr Anwar.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet called the talks “a very good meeting”, and said he hopes to stop the fighting  – the deadliest since violence raged from 2008 to 2011  – “immediately”.

Mr Hun Manet said the ceasefire should “provide a lot of opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people on both sides to return to normalcy”.

He added that now is the time to “start rebuilding trust and confidence going forward between Cambodia and Thailand”.

Mr Hun Manet thanked Mr Anwar, US President Donald Trump and the Chinese government for helping broker the ceasefire.

Thailand’s acting Prime Minister, Mr Phumtham Wechayachai, spoke briefly, saying simply that Thailand negotiated a pause in fighting “in good faith”.

More than 200,000 people have fled as the two sides fired artillery, rockets and guns in a battle over the long-disputed area, which is home to a smattering of ancient temples.

is the deadliest since violence raged from 2008 to 2011 over the territory, which is claimed by both sides because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia’s French colonial administrators in 1907.

Hours ahead of the talks, a journalist in the Cambodian city of Samraong – 17km from the fraught frontier – reported hearing a steady drumbeat of up to 10 blasts a minute.

Mr Trump – who both nations are courting for trade deals to avert the threat of eye-watering tariffs –

, and said both sides had agreed to “quickly work out” a truce.

Mr Phumtham and Mr Hun Manet met at the residence of Mr Anwar, serving chair of the Asean bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members.

Washington’s top diplomat, Mr Marco Rubio, said State Department officials

in Malaysia to assist the “peace efforts”, while Cambodia said a delegation from its close ally China had also attended.

But ahead of the summit, Thailand and Cambodia traded fresh fire and

.

Cambodia’s Defence Ministry spokeswoman, Ms Maly Socheata, said it was “the fifth day that Thailand has invaded Cambodia’s territory with heavy weapons and with the deployment of a lot of troops”.

As he departed Bangkok airport, Mr Phumtham told reporters he did not believe Cambodia was “acting in good faith” and called on the country “to demonstrate genuine intent” in the meeting.

In Thailand’s Surin city – 30km from the border and a hub of evacuees fleeing the fighting – 58-year-old Lamduan Chuenjit shared her leader’s scepticism.

“I hope the negotiation goes well today and ends with a ceasefire,” the cleaner said while sweeping a shopfront. “But I do wonder how trustworthy Cambodia is.”

Both sides point the finger

On the eve of the talks, Thailand’s military said Cambodian snipers were camped in one of the contested temples, and accused Phnom Penh of surging troops along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets.

It said there was fighting in seven areas in the rural region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and fields where locals farm rubber and rice.

“The situation remains highly tense, and it is anticipated that Cambodia may be preparing for a major military operation prior to entering negotiations,” the Thai military statement read.

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn marked his 73rd birthday on July 28, but a notice in the country’s Royal Gazette said his public celebrations scheduled for Bangkok’s Grand Palace have been cancelled amid the strife.

Mr Trump has threatened both countries with high levies in his global tariff blitz unless they agree to independent trade deals, but said he would “look forward” to signing them once “peace is at hand”.

Each side has already agreed to a truce in principle, while accusing the other of undermining peace efforts and trading allegations about the use of cluster bombs and targeting of hospitals.

Thailand says eight of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths.

The Thai military said it has returned the bodies of 12 Cambodian soldiers killed in combat.

More than 138,000 people have fled Thailand’s border regions, while around 80,000 have been driven from their homes in Cambodia.

With the skirmish fanning nationalist sentiments, Thailand warned its citizens to “refrain from any kind of violence, whether in speech or action” against Cambodian migrants living in the country. AFP