Thailand and Cambodia traded blame on Thursday for the breakdown of the ceasefire over their disputed border, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet accusing Thai soldiers of killing a civilian, as villagers on both sides prepare for the conflict to return.
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His Thai counterpart, Anutin Charnvirakul, on Wednesday risked incurring the wrath of US President Donald Trump by saying he “no longer cares” about the threat of tariffs, which were trimmed as a condition for the truce, as he accused Cambodia of flouting its side of the ceasefire deal, leaving him no option but to suspend the peace process.
On Tuesday, the Thai military, which has primacy over the civilian government in security matters, declared it would no longer take part in a four-point road map to peace after a soldier stepped on a landmine and lost a foot. It claimed that the landmine was planted on the Thai side of the border by Cambodian forces, prompting a denial by Phnom Penh.
“I followed every single step [of the peace deal], they didn’t,” Anutin said. “We can’t do that any more. As for trade and tariffs negotiations, I no longer care … if we can’t sell to this country, we’ll find others. How can we put our lives in the hands of one country?”
In a social media post, Hun Manet accused Thailand of firing across the border, killing one civilian and wounding several others on Wednesday.
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The peace talks initiated by Trump last month in Kuala Lumpur were meant to end the conflict. Instead, Trump’s deal, dubbed the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords and heralded by him as a chance to save “millions of lives” in both countries, appears to be on the verge of collapse.
