As Southeast Asia’s two uneasy neighbours inch toward diplomacy following a deadly week-long conflict, Malaysian-hosted talks mark the first step in what may be a long road to peace.

One week after agreeing to a shaky ceasefire, Thailand and Cambodia have begun preliminary military talks in Malaysia, with a high-level ministerial meeting set to follow on Thursday. Both sides are treading carefully after the deadliest clashes in more than a decade left at least 43 dead and displaced over 300,000 people.

The five-day conflict, which saw artillery exchanges and Thai F-16 airstrikes, erupted near the long-disputed border zone surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear and Ta Moan Thom temples – a hot-button area that has fuelled nationalist tensions on both sides for years.

The ceasefire was brokered in Malaysia last Monday with the United States and China attending as observers, a clear sign of growing international concern over regional stability. Both countries will again observe Thursday’s General Border Committee (GBC) ministerial meeting, which aims to map out a framework to maintain the truce and prevent further escalation. Malaysia will also retain its role as host and neutral facilitator.

But while the guns have largely fallen silent, trust remains elusive.

In a strongly worded statement, Cambodia accused Thailand of violating the ceasefire by laying barbed wire and operating excavators in the contested zone. Thailand, for its part, said both sides are holding their positions but confirmed there had been no “significant movements.”

Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, spokesperson for the Thai military, added that Cambodian forces have reportedly “modified their positions and reinforced troops in key areas” to replace those lost in the fighting.

Tensions flared further as Cambodia demanded the immediate release of 18 soldiers captured during the conflict. Thailand acknowledged the group’s detention, referring to them as “prisoners of war” and stating they would be released only after a “complete cessation of the armed conflict – not just a ceasefire.”

Though the current truce is holding, analysts caution that without a clear roadmap and mutual trust, border skirmishes could resume at any time. Thursday’s meeting will be critical in gauging whether diplomacy can truly take root – or if the tenuous, fragile calm we’re seeing now is simply the eye of the storm.

Reporting from Reuters and CNA contributed to this article.