Villager killed in Thai-Cambodia border shooting as ceasefire wobbles

Cambodia’s prime minister said a villager was killed when shooting broke out on Wednesday along the volatile border with Thailand, as the ceasefire partly brokered by US President Donald Trump that ended five days of combat between the two nations appeared to be breaking down.

The reported death occurred two days after a Thai soldier lost a foot to a landmine while patrolling another area of the border. Thailand blamed Cambodia for the blast and announced it was suspending honouring the terms of the ceasefire, which was originally agreed to on July 28.

Trump had threatened to withhold trade privileges from the two countries unless they stopped fighting. The pact was reaffirmed in greater detail last month when Trump attended an Asean summit meeting in Malaysia.

Territorial disputes over exactly where the border lies between the Southeast Asian neighbours led to five days of armed conflict in late July that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday went to the border to visit frontline troops and told reporters that Thailand had consistently sought to honour the ceasefire agreement, but that Cambodia had tried to delay progress, so Thailand would also not carry out its terms.