US-backed Cambodia, Thailand peace deal on hold after Thai soldiers injured in land mine

After Thai soldiers were hurt by land mines along their border, Thailand and US President Donald Trump halted a peace process with Cambodia last month.

“All terms in the joint declaration will be suspended, and the plan to release Cambodian detainees will be terminated,” Defense Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit said Tuesday after a meeting of the National Security Council. His comments echo Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s commen ts on the issue Monday.

According to government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat, the suspension will last until hostilities between the two nations ease. Siripong told reporters following a cabinet meeting that Anutin has directed the defense ministry to intensify military operations in order to safeguard the border and preserve Thailand’s sovereignty. He added that if Cambodia doesn’t react to Thailand’s formal protest, the government would think about canceling the peace agreement completely.

To see soldiers hurt by what the Thai army claimed were recently placed explosives, the prime minister intends to travel to the region of Si Sa Ket. After a series of explosives in July that led to the bloodiest border skirmishes in years prior to Trump’s intervention, the blast marked the seventh such occurrence in four months.

Thai authorities have stated that holding a peace summit-style meeting during the US president’s trip to Asia last month was a must for agreeing to trade terms. The US president had threatened to sabotage trade agreements with both nations unless they stopped fighting. Later, when Anutin directly pleaded with Trump last month for a “better” trade agreement, he brought up the peace agreement.

As part of efforts to restore relations, the so-called Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords asked for the evacuation of heavy weaponry from border zones between November 1 and December 31 and cooperation on land-mine removals. Thailand has also asked Cambodia to take action against online fraud. The defense ministry of Cambodia disputed that the mines were recently planted, stating instead that they were probably uncleared leftovers of earlier conflicts.

Thailand’s removal of tariff barriers on almost 99% of US commodities, particularly industrial, food, and agricultural products, was one of the preliminary agreements stated in a joint statement on the US-Thai trade accord last month. In exchange, Thailand will be subject to 19% tariffs from the US, with certain unidentified goods being exempt from taxes.

According to Thai officials, the framework is not legally enforceable, and further discussions will be held with the goal of wrapping up talks by the end of the year.