Thailand has suspended efforts to implement a ceasefire with Cambodia formalized during President Donald Trump’s trip to Asia last month after several Thai soldiers were injured in a land mine explosion in a disputed border area.
Cambodia on Monday denied laying any new land mines along the 500-mile frontier between the neighboring countries.
Thailand has suspended efforts to implement a ceasefire with Cambodia formalized during President Donald Trump’s trip to Asia last month after several Thai soldiers were injured in a land mine explosion in a disputed border area.
Cambodia on Monday denied laying any new land mines along the 500-mile frontier between the neighboring countries.
The ceasefire agreement, called the Kuala Lumpur Accord, was brokered with the help of the U.S. and Malaysia after Trump in July threatened he would hit both countries with heavy tariffs if their deadly conflict continued. It was one of eight conflicts that Trump has claimed credit for resolving during his second term.
A senior U.S. administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Trump is committed to the continued cessation of violence and expects the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to fully honor their commitments to end the conflict.
A State Department spokesperson echoed that commitment, saying the United States remains steadfast in its desires to see the neighbors take steps for a longer-term peace.
The Royal Thai Army said Monday that one soldier had a leg amputated and another suffered chest injuries following the incident in Sisaket province.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that “all ongoing efforts will now be suspended until we have a clearer understanding of the situation.”
“This incident has made us realize that a de-escalation didn’t happen as expected despite the efforts we made. So we are not proceeding further [with the deal] and everything will be put on hold.”
Thai Defense Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit said he had ordered the army to investigate if the land mines were new or old. He told reporters that plans to return 18 Cambodian prisoners of war as part of the ceasefire deal had been put on hold.
Cambodian officials said Monday they were “gravely concerned” about the Thai decision to suspend ceasefire efforts. The country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry noted that many areas along the disputed border have not been cleared of unexploded mines dating back to Cambodia’s civil war decades ago “due to difficult terrains and the un-demarcated status of the border areas.”
The long-running border feud stems from a dispute over the sovereignty of a 1,000-year-old temple of deep significance to both countries. Tensions flared in July, with the two countries exchanging heavy fire at a number of disputed locations, killing dozens of people and displacing tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border.
Rebecca Tan contributed to this report.
The post Thailand halts ceasefire deal with Cambodia previously heralded by Trump
appeared first on Washington Post.
