Thailand suspends Trump-backed peace deal with Cambodia after landmine blasts
A landmine blast injured two Thai soldiers, prompting PM Anutin to suspend the fragile Trump-backed peace deal and halt prisoner releases
The soldiers stepped on what the Thai army suspects were newly laid mines while on routine patrol Monday in Si Sa Ket province. It was the seventh such blast in four months, following a wave of explosions in July that sparked the deadliest border clashes in years.
The country will also halt the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers in its custody – a move that had been set to begin November 21 under the peace terms.
“Everything we have been doing until now will be stopped until there is more clarity,” Anutin told reporters on Monday. “What happened shows that the hostility hasn’t decreased as we thought it would. So we can’t proceed any further from here.”
The accords call for the removal of heavy weapons from border zones between November 1 and December 31 and a cooperation on landmine clearances. Thailand has also sought Cambodian crackdowns on cyber-scam operations there.
Thailand suspends Trump-backed peace deal with Cambodia
A spokesperson for Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence did not respond to requests for comment.