Hun Sen is a wily survivor of Cambodian politics and the wider tumult across Southeast Asia over the last half-a-century. Born to rice farmers in a province heavily bombed during the secret U.S. war in Cambodia and Laos, he became a soldier for the Khmer Rouge, whose murderous regime from 1975 to 1979 killed about a quarter of the population.

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire” starting at midnight, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

Thailand and Cambodia reaffirmed their shaky ceasefire on Wednesday after China helped mediate a peace process to end days of border fighting. The ceasefire reached in Malaysia was supposed to take effect at midnight on Monday,