Bangkok (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Thailand announced on Monday that it is suspending the peace agreement with neighbouring Cambodia following a landmine blast that wounded two Thai troops near the border.
Last month, Thailand’s PM Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodia’s PM Hun Manet signed an enhanced ceasefire deal in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump, at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur.
How severe were the injuries to the Thai soldiers?
The Royal Thai Army announced that a mine explosion in Sisaket province injured one soldier severely in the leg, and the blast’s pressure caused another to suffer chest pains. Thai government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said that Bangkok will cease
“the follow-up to the joint declaration,”
AFP reported.
Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul briefed a press conference that
“we thought that the security threat had eased, but it has not actually decreased.”
How has the Cambodian government responded to the accusations?
As reported, Cambodian authorities did not respond immediately to the incident but have previously denied Thai accusations of planting new landmines along the border. Cambodia’s defence ministry reaffirmed its’ unwavering commitment’ to peace in a statement on Monday.
How effective was the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire before the blast?
The ceasefire agreement, supervised by Donald Trump, aimed to definitively end hostilities after the July border clashes that resulted in at least 43 fatalities and displaced over 300,000 civilians on both sides. Thailand released 18 Cambodian soldiers who were prisoners, and both sides started removing heavy weapons from the border area after the peace agreement.
The ceasefire originated from Trump reaching out to the leaders of both nations, urging them to stop hostilities or risk suspension of their trade talks with Washington. During a summit of the ASEAN in Kuala Lumpur, Trump also praised the leaders of both nations as courageous and mentioned that the truce he brokered saved “millions of” lives lives”.
“Because of America’s strong commitment to stability and peace in this region and every region where we can do it, my administration immediately began working to prevent the conflict from escalating,”
Trump stated.
What are the historical roots of the border dispute?
The Southeast Asian neighbours have had a border dispute for over a century, but the July clash was triggered by Thailand’s accusation that Cambodia had planted landmines, injuring Thai troops.
In recent months, tensions have increased between the neighbours following the death of a Cambodian soldier in a May skirmish. This has led both militaries to strengthen their border presence and to a full diplomatic crisis.
