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Trump rebukes Thailand, Cambodia for violating US-brokered ceasefire

The US president earlier said the the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to cease hostilities and return to implementing previously reached peace agreements

WASHINGTON, December 16. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump said the Thai and Cambodian governments had failed to comply with the ceasefire agreement reached on December 12 following his personal appeal to the two sides.

"Thailand and Cambodia - two people I get along with great, and I dealt with them, and I called them, and I said: look, fellas, you got to relax, you got to take it easy. They lost. You know, they started the war again, and I got it ended. And things like that are going to happen, war. There is nothing pretty about war, nothing good, and there's nothing you can do to predict what's going to happen," Trump told reporters at the White House.

On December 12, Trump said he had spoken by phone with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia. The US president said the two leaders had agreed to cease hostilities within 24 hours and return to implementing previously reached peace agreements. However, fighting later resumed.

Border clashes

Armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia broke out on July 24. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced a ceasefire between the two countries on July 28 following talks in Kuala Lumpur. Despite this, several incidents were later reported in which Thai soldiers triggered landmines.

In late September, Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said Cambodian troops had used small arms and grenade launchers to attack Thai territory, prompting Thailand to place its military on combat alert.

In October, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his Thai counterpart Anutin Charnvirakul signed a joint declaration in Trump’s presence on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN summit, outlining further steps toward a peaceful settlement of the border dispute. The parties underscored their intention to "de-escalate tensions, mitigate negative public sentiment, and foster an environment conducive to peaceful dialogue."

Trump said at the time that he had resolved the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia and repeatedly stated that his direct involvement had brought eight regional wars to an end.

Clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces resurfaced on December 7. According to Cambodia’s Defense Ministry, Thai troops launched the initial attack. Thailand’s army, however, said Cambodian forces were responsible for the latest escalation, alleging that they fired artillery at Thai positions in the border area, prompting retaliatory strikes against Cambodian military infrastructure.

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