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Thailand and Cambodia reaffirmed their fragile ceasefire on Wednesday after days of deadly clashes along their shared border and despite accusations of the truce being violated.
The two neighbours agreed at a meeting in Malaysia on Monday to an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire to stop nearly a week of fighting that killed at least 41 people, many of them civilians, and displaced more than 300,000 from their homes.
Yet the truce was soon tested when Thailand’s military accused Cambodia of launching attacks in multiple areas on Tuesday, claims the Cambodian government denied.
The Thai army reported exchanges of gunfire into Wednesday morning, with Thailand’s foreign ministry accusing Cambodia of violating the ceasefire agreement “once again.”
Later on Wednesday, however, both sides appeared to have reasserted their commitment to a ceasefire, with Thai and Cambodian representatives appearing smiling at a meeting in Shanghai with Chinese vice minister Sun Weidong.
“Cambodia and Thailand reiterated to China their commitment to the ceasefire consensus,” a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said.
By Wednesday afternoon, there were signs of calm along the border, with some of the more than 260,000 people displaced by the fighting returning to their homes.
Still, many remain in evacuation shelters, uncertain of their fate.
Trump’s tariff diplomacy
The ceasefire agreed upon in Malaysia paves the way for a joint border committee meeting in Cambodia on 4 August. The high-level meeting will include the two countries’ defence ministers.
The truce comes days before the US is set to announce new trade tariff decisions.
Cambodia and Thailand are likely to be two of the hardest-hit countries by US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, with a 36% levy on goods from both nations due to take effect on Friday.
Trump had warned that the US might not proceed with trade deals with either country if hostilities continued, giving both sides a face-saving justification for stopping the clashes.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Tuesday that Trump had called to offer congratulations for the peace agreement and pledged that US would join the monitoring process along with Malaysia.
Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that Trump had also called him and that the US president told him Bangkok’s talks with Washington over tariffs on Thai exports could proceed on as favourable terms as possible.
History of hostility
Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity over centuries and experience periodic tensions along their land border of more than 800 kilometres.
Yet the latest clashes were some of the worst modern fighting between the two nations.
Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and shook up Thailand’s domestic politics.
Last Thursday, a land mine explosion in one of the contested border areas injured five Thai soldiers, including one who lost a leg. It was the second such incident in a week and the cause of the latest fighting.
The immediate blowback was diplomatic, with Thailand withdrawing its ambassador from Cambodia, expelling the Cambodian envoy and shutting border crossings.
Skirmishes and artillery duels broke out in several areas, with infantry fighting mostly in disputed areas.
Both countries employed artillery and Cambodia made frequent use of truck-mounted rockets. Thailand retaliated with airstrikes carried out by jet fighters.
Additional sources • AP
