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Trump to restart trade talks as Thailand and Cambodia agree to truce
US President Donald Trump on Monday directed his trade negotiators to reopen discussions with Thailand and Cambodia after both nations agreed to halt hostilities and implement an immediate ceasefire.
'I just spoke to the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand and the Prime Minister of Cambodia,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'I have instructed my trade team to restart negotiations on trade.'
The breakthrough follows an agreement by the two Southeast Asian neighbours to enforce an 'immediate and unconditional ceasefire' beginning at midnight (1700 GMT), ending five days of intense cross-border fighting—considered the worst between the two countries in over a decade. The violence has killed at least 36 people, mostly civilians, and forced more than 300,000 to flee their homes.
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The ceasefire announcement comes after diplomatic pressure from Malaysia, which chairs the ASEAN bloc, along with active mediation efforts by the United States and China. Following more than two hours of talks in Putrajaya, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, joined by the Thai and Cambodian leaders, said all sides had agreed to a framework to maintain peace, restore communication, and oversee truce implementation.
'This is a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security,' he told a press conference.
'All parties shared a commitment to peace."
The Southeast Asian neighbours have wrangled for decades over border territory and have been on a conflict footing since the killing of a Cambodian soldier in a skirmish late in May, which led to a troop buildup on both sides. A full-blown diplomatic crisis brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.
They accuse each other of starting the fighting last week, both quickly deploying heavy artillery at multiple points along their 800-km (500-mile) land border. Thailand flew air raids with an F-16 fighter jet.
With inputs from agencies
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