Thailand and Cambodia Reach Ceasefire to End Border Clashes

Thailand and Cambodia reached an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire agreement Monday to halt deadly border clashes that escalated last week, and have killed dozens of people over the past decade, France 24 reported. 

The agreement came after peace talks held in Malaysia, which also included the US and Chinese officials. The situation remained “calm” on Tuesday following a meeting of military leaders from Thailand and Cambodia, Reuters reported. 

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that both parties agreed to begin restoring normal relations after what he described as candid talks. 

The ceasefire will take effect at midnight on Tuesday, local time. The defense ministers of Malaysia, Cambodia, and Thailand have been directed to “develop a detailed mechanism” to monitor the ceasefire.  

Military and officials from both sides will also hold talks aimed at easing tensions along the disputed border. 

The peace negotiations followed direct pressure from US President Donald Trump, who said he called the leaders of both countries and warned them that trade negotiations would be paused until the fighting ended, the Guardian noted.  

Thailand and Cambodia face a tariff of 36 percent starting Aug.1 unless they can secure a deal. 

The two countries have been clashing intermittently for years over contested territory on their 508-mile shared border, but the conflict escalated at the end of May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish. 

More clashes erupted Thursday after separate landmine explosions earlier in the week injured Thai soldiers patrolling a disputed part of the border. 

The countries have traded blame for starting the conflict, which has killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 260,000. Both countries recalled their ambassadors, while Thailand also shut down all border checkpoints with Cambodia.