Trump says Thailand and Cambodia agree to ‘cease all shooting’
Both countries are ready for peace and continued trade with the United States of America
[WASHINGTON/BANGKOK] Thailand and Cambodia have agreed “to cease all shooting” effective on Friday (Dec 12), US President Donald Trump said after calls with the countries’ leaders to try to salvage a ceasefire he brokered earlier this year after a fifth day of fighting.
Trump said that he had spoken to Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Premier Hun Manet “concerning the very unfortunate reawakening of their long-running war” and both had agreed to end the conflict.
“They have agreed to cease all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Both countries are ready for peace and continued trade with the United States of America.” Cambodia and Thailand have since Monday been firing rockets and artillery at multiple points along their disputed 817-km border, in some of the heaviest fighting since a five-day clash in July that Trump halted with calls to both leaders to end their worst conflict in recent history.
This week’s unrest has killed at least 20 people, with more than 260 wounded, according to tallies by both countries, which have blamed each other for reigniting the conflict. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the border.
Contrasting tone
Trump’s tone differed from that of Thai premier Anutin hours earlier, who said the call “went well”, but made no mention of an agreement between the South-east Asian neighbours to stop the fighting.
Anutin said that he had asked Trump to urge Cambodia to cease hostilities, withdraw troops and remove landmines.
“I explained to President Trump that we are not the aggressor against Cambodia but we are retaliating,” Anutin told reporters.
“He wants a ceasefire. I told him to tell our friends – don’t just say a ceasefire but they must tell the world that Cambodia will cease fire, withdraw its troops, remove all landmines it has planted. They must show us first.”
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Trump, who has repeatedly said that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, had lauded himself on Thursday as a global peacemaker who had “solved eight wars” and expressed confidence he would get the truce “back on track”. A spokesperson for Cambodia’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s call to Hun Manet, who in August nominated him for the Nobel Prize.
Thai fury over landmines
Trump was keen to intervene again to rescue the truce, which was expanded in October when he met the Thai and Cambodian prime ministers at a summit in Malaysia, who agreed on a process to withdraw troops and heavy weapons and release 18 Cambodian prisoners of war. But Thailand last month suspended that agreement, venting its fury after a Thai soldier was maimed in the latest in a series of incidents involving landmines that Bangkok says were newly laid by Cambodia. Cambodia rejects the allegations.
Trump in his post said Thailand had “retaliated very strongly”.
He also thanked Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his assistance in the peace effort.
In a post on X, Anwar said that he had spoken to Trump on Friday about the conflict, but made no mention of a breakthrough.
A Thai government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s post.
Fighting raged again on Friday, with Cambodia accusing Thailand of shelling and firing machine guns on multiple sites, including near ancient temples, and sending armoured vehicles into what it called its territory.
“The heroic Cambodian forces will continue to stand strong, brave, and steadfast in their ongoing fight against the aggressors,” its defence ministry said.
Thailand’s military accused Cambodia of encroachment into its territory, saying it was “compelled to exercise its right to self-defence” with the objective of ending the threat and protecting lives and sovereignty.
No tariffs pressure from Trump, Thai PM says
It is unclear if Trump will be able to secure a cessation of hostilities as easily as he did in July, when he told the Cambodian and Thai leaders that negotiations on steep US tariffs could resume only when fighting ended. Thailand’s foreign minister this week told Reuters that tariffs should not be used to pressure Thailand.
Anutin on Friday said that Trump had asked him how trade talks were going between Bangkok and Washington and gave no indication that those would be impacted by the fighting.
“He didn’t apply any pressure,” he said. Anutin has so far been noncommittal on a diplomatic solution and has repeatedly backed the military to fully implement its planned operations. Thailand’s army has made clear that it wants to cripple Cambodia’s military capability “for years to come”.
A top adviser to Hun Manet told Reuters this week that Phnom Penh was “ready at any time” for dialogue, while Thailand has rejected mediation and said Cambodia must show sincerity before any bilateral negotiations can happen. REUTERS
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