By Trevor Hunnicutt and Panarat Thepgumpanat
WASHINGTON/BANGKOK, Dec 12 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he had spoken by telephone with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, who both agreed to end border hostilities and return to a ceasefire he brokered earlier this year.
“I had a very good conversation this morning with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, concerning the very unfortunate reawakening of their long-running War. They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Both Countries are ready for PEACE and continued Trade with the United States of America.”
CONTRASTING REMARKS
Trump’s remarks differed significantly from those of Thai premier Anutin hours earlier, who made no mention of an agreement to end the fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which raged for a fifth day on Friday.
Anutin said he had asked Trump to urge Cambodia to cease hostilities and remove landmines.
“I explained to President Trump that we are not the aggressor against Cambodia but we are retaliating,” Anutin told reporters.
“He wants a ceasefire. I told him to tell our friends – don’t just say a ceasefire but they must tell the world that Cambodia will cease fire, withdraw its troops, remove all landmines it has planted. They must show us first.”
Cambodia and Thailand have been firing rockets and artillery at several points along their disputed 817-km (508-mile) border, in some of the heaviest fighting since a five-day clash in July that Trump halted with calls to both leaders to end their worst conflict in recent history.
This week’s outbreak of fighting has killed at least 20 people, with more than 260 wounded, according to tallies by both countries, which have blamed each other for reigniting the conflict.
THAI FURY OVER LANDMINES
Trump was keen to intervene again to salvage the truce he brokered, which was expanded in October when he met the Thai and Cambodian prime ministers in Malaysia, who agreed on a process to withdraw troops and heavy weapons and release 18 Cambodian prisoners of war.
But Thailand last month suspended that agreement, venting its fury after a Thai soldier was maimed in the latest in a series of incidents involving landmines that Bangkok says were newly laid by Cambodia. Cambodia rejects the allegations.
Trump, who has repeatedly said he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, lauded himself on Thursday as a global peacemaker who had “solved eight wars” and had expressed confidence he would get the truce “back on track”.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington and Panarat Thepgumpanat and Orathai Sriring in Bangkok; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by David Stanway, William Mallard and Alex Richardson)
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