The Defence Ministers of Thailand and Cambodia in a joint statement have agreed to an immediate ceasefire.

According to report, the two sides have agreed to freeze the front lines where they are now, and allow civilians living in border areas to return home, halting almost three weeks of intense clashes in which hundreds of soldiers are believed to have died and nearly one million people displaced.

The statement says that, the ceasefire took effect at noon local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday.

Once it has been in place for 72 hours, 18 Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand since July will be released, while breakthrough came after days of talks between the two countries, with diplomatic encouragement from China and the US.

Thailand’s Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit described the ceasefire as a test for the “other party’s sincerity”.

“Should the ceasefire fail to materialise or be violated, Thailand retains its legitimate right to self-defence under international law,” he told reporters.

Thailand had been reluctant to accept the ceasefire, saying the last one was not properly implemented. They also resented what they saw as Cambodia’s efforts to internationalize the conflict.

Unlike the last ceasefire in July, US President Donald Trump was absent from this one, although the US State Department was involved.

That ceasefire agreement collapsed earlier this month, when fresh clashes erupted, as both sides have blamed each other for the breakdown of the truce.

BBC/Taiwo Akinola

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