Trump-brokered peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia breaks down after border landmine blast

The much-touted Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, signed by Cambodia and Thailand on Oct 26 on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit, is in danger of completely breaking down after clashes at their disputed border killed at least one person.

The peace accord had been overseen by United States President Donald Trump, who had said he would hold back trade privileges if the two countries continued to fight.

Together with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Mr Trump signed as witness to the peace accord.

The Prime Ministers of Thailand and Cambodia, Anutin Charnvirakul and Hun Manet, respectively, affirmed in a joint declaration on Oct 26 that they were committed to “peace and security between our two countries.”

Moreover, they repeated a promise that they would “refrain from the threat or use of force, and to seek peaceful settlement of disputes.”

Less than three weeks later, however, Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of opening fire at the disputed border.

On Monday (Nov 11), while Thai soldiers were patrolling the area, a landmine exploded. According to Thai authorities, several soldiers were injured, with one losing a foot.

After this incident, Thailand said it would suspend the terms of the peace accord and said that Cambodia had laid the landmine just recently.

By Wednesday, there were reports of gunfire from both sides of the border, resulting in injuries to three Cambodian civilians and the death of another in Banteay Meanchey, a province in the country’s northwestern area.

In a statement, the Cambodian Prime Minister said, “The action goes against the humanitarian spirit and recent agreements to resolve border issues peacefully.”

According to a spokesman for the Thai army, however, it was the soldiers from Cambodia who started the clash when they began to open fire toward the Thai side.

Major General Winthai Suwaree said, “Thai troops took cover and fired warning shots toward the direction of the gunfire in accordance with the rules of engagement.”

He added that the skirmish took around 10 minutes, with no injuries or casualties among the Thai.

The collapse of the agreement between Thailand and Cambodia is a blow to the US President, who has called himself the “President of Peace,” and claimed that the accord may have saved “millions of lives.”

The wording of the joint declaration reflects the role Mr Trump played. Its final point reads: “We express our confidence that this meeting, in the presence of and supported by President Donald J Trump of the United States of America and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, is a strong foundation for mutual respect and the advancement of peace in the region. We note with deep appreciation President Donald J Trump’s significant contributions to advancing the restoration of productive bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand.” /TISG

Read also: Thailand and Cambodia sign ‘Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords’ amid scepticism over long-term stability