Three months after heavy fighting in the border area between Thailand and Cambodia, both countries signed a peace agreement in the presence of US President Donald Trump. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet sealed the agreement at midday (local time) in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Trump had recently landed there as a guest at the summit of the Southeast Asian community of states, Asean – it is the first stop on his multi-day trip to Asia.
The agreement is a reminder “that reconciliation is not a concession, but an act of courage, and that peace, once chosen, can reshape the future of nations,” emphasized Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country is chairing the Asean summit this year.
Ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand under pressure from Trump
In July there was fierce fighting for almost a week between the armed forces of Thailand and Cambodia on the 800 kilometer long border between the two countries. More than 40 people were killed in the fighting and hundreds of thousands were displaced from the region.
18 soldiers from Cambodia are still imprisoned as prisoners of war in Thailand. They would now be released, Trump said in a speech – and added that he was proud to have helped resolve this conflict. At the same time, he criticized the United Nations for doing nothing.
After Trump intervened in the conflict, the Southeast Asian neighbors agreed to an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire at a first meeting in Malaysia at the end of July. Trump had threatened economic consequences if the conflict was not resolved.
What is the agreement about?
According to the Thai Ministry of Defense, the peace agreement that has now been signed and which Trump had pushed for includes, among other things, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the border area and joint demining. This was preceded by days of negotiations between the two countries. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet spoke of a “historic moment”.
It is unclear whether the peace will really last – because the conflict between the two countries has been simmering for decades. And in the past few months, despite the agreement on a ceasefire, there have been repeated incidents at the border.
Trump will travel to Japan for talks on Monday. He will then fly to South Korea, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is taking place and a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled for Thursday.
