JAKARTA - Malaysia’s prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged Thailand and Cambodia to stop fighting and agreed to host a special ASEAN meeting in Kuala Lumpur on December 22. 

He told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that both sides have been asked to send delegations and that Malaysia will lead an ASEAN observer team to the border. The Prime Minister’s Office and the foreign ministry issued statements confirming the meeting.

The clashes that started in early December have pushed large numbers of people from their homes and left many dead. Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet said he supports moves to halt the violence. Thailand has agreed to attend the talks but has not accepted a formal ceasefire yet. Soldiers are still on the ground in some areas.

The meeting is meant to get officials to agree on how to monitor the frontline and protect civilians. Aid groups warn that over 700,000 displaced people need food, shelter and medical care now. ASEAN says it wants to act quickly but its effort will only work if both Bangkok and Phnom Penh cooperate.

ASEAN secretary general Kao Kim Hourn has previously urged Thailand and Cambodia to stick to their ceasefire and put peace first after fresh fighting this week that has pushed about half a million people from their homes and caused casualties.

Kao said earlier this month at ASEAN’s headquarter in Jakarta, “This foundation encourages us to uphold peaceful dispute resolution, strengthen cooperation, and ensure peace and stability are realized in our region.”