It was this past Monday that a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia came into force. It happened after five days of intense fighting that claimed at least 35 lives and forced over a quarter of a million people in the border area to leave their homes.
Now, officials from the two countries will hold a first round of follow-up talks. The four-day meeting was originally to be held in Cambodia but was moved to neutral Malaysia, which is the chairman of the Southeast Asian association Asean and has mediated in the conflict.
High on the agenda are details on how to avoid new fighting from erupting. Sporadic violent incidents have occurred over the past 15 years, mainly in the vicinity of disputed land areas that exist along the border between the two countries. The most well-known concerns the area around the thousand-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which is on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
This year, the relationship between Cambodia and Thailand has deteriorated significantly since May, when a Cambodian soldier was shot dead at the border.
