ISTANBUL

Peace talks between Thailand and Cambodia began on Monday in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, with a focus on achieving a ceasefire despite ongoing clashes that dragged into the fifth day.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai are attending the meeting, hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Bernama News reported.

The latest clashes between Thailand and Cambodia began on Thursday over a territorial dispute along their shared border, resulting in the death of at least 35 people, while thousands of people have been displaced on the two sides of the border.

Officials from the US and China will oversee the talks.

"We are prepared to attend a special meeting to achieve an immediate "ceasefire," Manet said before the meeting started.

He credited US President Donald Trump for the meeting, hosted by Malaysia and co-organized by the US, with the participation of China’s representative.

Before departing for Malaysia, Thailand's acting premier told reporters that he does not believe Cambodia is acting "in good faith."

"They need to demonstrate genuine intent, and we will assess that during the meeting," he added.

Early on Monday, Cambodia’s Defense Ministry spokeswoman Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata accused the Thai forces of using chemical weapons.

At a news conference, Socheata said that the Thai forces opened an attack on Ta Moan Thom and Ta Krabei on Monday morning despite the fact that the Cambodian prime minister and acting Thai prime minister are scheduled to meet in Malaysia.

She alleged that since Sunday, Thai forces have been using air jets to carry out poison gas attacks on several Cambodian areas.

However, the Thai Armed Forces strongly denied Cambodia’s claim that Thailand used chemical weapons. "Thailand does not develop, produce, or use chemical weapons and fully complies with the Chemical Weapons Convention," Thai Enquirer reported, citing a Thai army statement.

In a statement, the US State Department said the US officials are on the ground in Malaysia to assist these peace efforts. "Both (US) President (Donald) Trump and I remain engaged with our respective counterparts for each country and are monitoring the situation very closely. We want this conflict to end as soon as possible," the statement quoted Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying.

China on Monday urged the two sides "to keep the interests of the two peoples in mind and move towards a ceasefire."

Separately, ASEAN foreign ministers on Monday called for an immediate ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, expressing deep concern over the rising death toll and humanitarian impact along their contested border, the Malaysian English daily Malay Mail reported.

At least 35 people have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced in clashes between the two forces since Thursday.

*Aamir Latif contributed from Pakistan