Thai and Cambodian leaders to meet in Malaysia for talks to end deadly border dispute

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai and Cambodian leaders will meet in Malaysia for talks to end hostilities, a spokesperson for the Thai prime minister’s office said Sunday. This comes following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to end a deadly border dispute, now in its fourth day, which has killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 218,000.

Jirayu Huangsap said Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will attend Monday's talks in response to an invitation from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim “to discuss peace efforts in the region.” Anwar has been acting in his capacity as this year's chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet late Sunday night on several social media platforms confirmed his participation as well.

“I will lead (the) Cambodian delegation to attend a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur hosted by Malaysia, co-organized by the United States and with participation of China,” he said. China is a close ally of Cambodia, and had early in the fighting urged the two nations to resolve their differences peacefully, but Hun Manet's statement appeared to be the first mentioning a Chinese link to Monday's planned talks.

Trump posted on the Truth Social social network Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and suggested he would not move forward with trade agreements with either country if the hostilities continued. He later said both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said earlier Sunday his country agreed to pursue an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” He said Trump told him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following the U.S. president’s conversation with Phumtham.

Phumtham thanked Trump and qualified Thailand's position, saying it agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for “sincere intention” from Cambodia, the Thai Foreign Ministry said.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Sunday said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with the foreign ministers of both Thailand and Cambodia urging them “to de-escalate tensions immediately and agree to a ceasefire.”

Her statement added that the U.S. “is prepared to facilitate future discussions in order to ensure peace and stability” between the two countries.

The fighting flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia, with an exception for migrant Cambodian workers returning home.

Despite the diplomatic efforts, fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested border, with both sides refusing to budge and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements.

Col. Richa Suksowanont, a Thai army deputy spokesperson, said Cambodian forces fired heavy artillery into Surin province, including at civilian homes, early Sunday. He said Cambodia also launched rocket attacks targeting the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple, claimed by both countries, and other areas in a bid to reclaim territory secured by Thai troops. Thai forces responded with long-range artillery to strike Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers.

Battlefield operations will continue and a ceasefire can only happen if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations, he added.

“Cambodian attacks remain irregular and may constitute violations of rules of engagement, posing further risk to border communities,” said the Thai military's daily summary of the fighting issued Sunday night.

"The situation remains highly tense, and it is anticipated that Cambodia may be preparing for a major military operation prior to entering negotiations," it said.

Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata accused Thai forces of escalating the violence with bombardment of Cambodian territory early Sunday, followed by a "large-scale incursion" involving tanks and ground troops in multiple areas.

“Such actions undermine all efforts toward peaceful resolution and expose Thailand’s clear intent to escalate rather than de-escalate the conflict,” she said.

Thailand on Sunday reported a new death of a soldier, bringing its total number of fatalities to 22, mostly civilians. Cambodia said 13 people have been killed, though it was unclear if that included Lt. Gen. Duong Samnieng, whose death in combat was announced Sunday.

More than 139,000 people in Thailand have evacuated to safe locations and over 79,000 people fled from three Cambodian provinces. Many border villages are mostly deserted, with many schools and hospitals shut.

Pichayut Surasit, an air-conditioning technician in Thailand, said the sudden outbreak of fighting meant leaving his work in Bangkok to return home to protect his family.

“I didn’t have the heart to continue with my work when I heard the news. I wanted to come back as soon as possible, but I had to wait until the evening,” he said. Now at a shelter in Surin housing some 6,000 evacuees, Pichayut worries for his wife and twin daughters, hoping the conflict will end soon so they can return to their home in Kap Choeng district, one of the hardest hit by shelling.

Bualee Chanduang, a local vendor who moved to the same shelter Thursday with her family and pet rabbit, is counting on swift negotiations to end the violence. “I pray for God to help so that both sides can agree to talk and end this war,” she said.

At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said he was praying for all those affected by war in the world, including “for those affected by the clashes on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, especially the children and displaced families.”

The 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The latest tensions erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand’s domestic politics.

Cheang reported from Samrong, Cambodia. Associated Press writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.

Thai residents who fled homes following clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers rest at an evacuation center in Surin province, Thailand, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Local villagers help unloading supplies donated by a charity for refugees from a truck, as they take refuge in Wat Phnom Kamboar, Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 27, 2025, amid the fighting between Thailand and Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A motorcycle is seen damaged after Cambodia fired artillery shells in Surin Province, Thailand, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Local villagers wait to receive supplies donated by a charity, in Wat Phnom Kamboar, Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 27, 2025, amid the fighting between Thailand and Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A house is seen damaged after Cambodia fired artillery shells in Surin Province, Thailand, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Cambodians villagers stay in a health center as they take refuge in Wat Phnom Kamboar In Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 27, 2025, amid the fighting between Thailand and Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Bualee Chanduang, left, with her rabbit who fled homes following clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers at an evacuation center in Surin province,Thailand, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai residents who fled homes following clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers rest at an evacuation center in Surin province, Thailand, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Cambodian military vehicle carries rocket launcher in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, Saturday, July 26, 2025, as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day, heightening fears of an extended conflict. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.

An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.

His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”

Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.

That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.

McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.

“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”

Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”

“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.

This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)