Thailand says it is suspending the implementation its “peace deal” with neighbouring Cambodia over a disputed border – just two weeks after Donald Trump presided over its signing.
Thailand’s announcement came after soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion near the Cambodian border in Sisaket province, a government spokesman said.
Cambodia has said it remains committed to the deal, which was supposed to bring a lasting peace following border clashes that left more than 40 dead in July.
The two sides signed the agreement, which Thailand has refused to call a peace deal, in October during a ceremony with the US president in Malaysia.
But on Monday, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told a news conference that he agreed with the decision taken by the country’s defence chiefs, saying the “security threat…. has not actually decreased”.
According to the Bangkok Post, the soldiers were injured while on patrol – one of whom lost their foot.
Anutin said he planned to visit the injured soldiers on Tuesday.
The border dispute between the two sides dates back more than a century, to when the border was drawn following the French occupation of Cambodia.
The disagreement has led to a number of clashes over the years, with this most recent one causing 300,000 to flee.
A ceasefire was agreed within days, and the agreement singed in Malaysia – called the “Joint Declaration by the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia on the outcomes of their meeting in Kuala Lumpur” by Bangkok – was signed in October.
Both agreed to withdraw their heavy weapons from the disputed region, and to establish an interim observer team to monitor it.
The next step was supposed to include the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers held in Thailand.
By BBC News
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