Thailand Suspends Ceasefire Agreement with Cambodia
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and the Associated Press, just hours after a landmine exploded along the Thailand-Cambodia border, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that all terms of the ceasefire agreement with Cambodia would be suspended.
The two Southeast Asian neighbors signed this ceasefire deal last month during a summit in Malaysia, following a five-day border clash.
Tensions have persisted over the past month.A similar explosion in August injured three Thai soldiers during a border patrol.
Prime Minister Anutin stated that Monday’s incident demonstrates that hostilities against Thailand’s national security have not diminished.He added that all ceasefire provisions will remain suspended until Thailand’s demands are met.
Under the ceasefire terms, Thailand is required to release 18 Cambodian soldiers, while both sides must begin clearing heavy weapons and landmines from the border area.
The Thai military reported that during Monday’s patrol in Sisaket Province,a corporal lost his right foot after triggering a landmine. Another soldier suffered respiratory distress due to the blast. Both are currently receiving treatment in hospital.
Thailand’s Defense Minister Nataphon Narkphanit said investigators are determining whether the mine was old or recently planted. He also announced that plans to release Cambodian soldiers later this week have been postponed.
Thailand has accused Cambodia of laying new mines and violating the ceasefire agreement-a charge Phnom penh denies.
The initial ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand was brokered by Malaysia. Later,under economic pressure from then-U.S.President Donald Trump, both parties signed an agreement at October’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
