Thailand and Cambodia reaffirm ceasefire after days of deadly clashes
The two neighbours agreed at a meeting in Malaysia on Monday to an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire to stop nearly a week of fighting that killed at least 41 people, many of them civilians, and displaced more than 300,000 from their homes.
Yet the truce was soon tested when Thailand's military accused Cambodia of launching attacks in multiple areas on Tuesday, claims the Cambodian government denied.
The Thai army reported exchanges of gunfire into Wednesday morning, with Thailand's foreign ministry accusing Cambodia of violating the ceasefire agreement "once again."
Later on Wednesday, however, both sides appeared to have reasserted their commitment to a ceasefire, with Thai and Cambodian representatives appearing smiling at a meeting in Shanghai with Chinese vice minister Sun Weidong.
"Cambodia and Thailand reiterated to China their commitment to the ceasefire consensus," a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said.
By Wednesday afternoon, there were signs of calm along the border, with some of the more than 260,000 people displaced by the fighting returning to their homes.
Still, many remain in evacuation shelters, uncertain of their fate.
Trump's tariff diplomacy
The ceasefire agreed upon in Malaysia paves the way for a joint border committee meeting in Cambodia on 4 August. The high-level meeting will include the two countries' defence ministers.
The truce comes days before the US is set to announce new trade tariff decisions.
Cambodia and Thailand are likely to be two of the hardest-hit countries by US President Donald Trump's tariff policies, with a 36% levy on goods from both nations due to take effect on Friday.
Trump had warned that the US might not proceed with trade deals with either country if hostilities continued, giving both sides a face-saving justification for stopping the clashes.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Tuesday that Trump had called to offer congratulations for the peace agreement and pledged that US would join the monitoring process along with Malaysia.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that Trump had also called him and that the US president told him Bangkok's talks with Washington over tariffs on Thai exports could proceed on as favourable terms as possible.
History of hostility
Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity over centuries and experience periodic tensions along their land border of more than 800 kilometres.
Yet the latest clashes were some of the worst modern fighting between the two nations.
Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and shook up Thailand's domestic politics.
Last Thursday, a land mine explosion in one of the contested border areas injured five Thai soldiers, including one who lost a leg. It was the second such incident in a week and the cause of the latest fighting.
The immediate blowback was diplomatic, with Thailand withdrawing its ambassador from Cambodia, expelling the Cambodian envoy and shutting border crossings.
Skirmishes and artillery duels broke out in several areas, with infantry fighting mostly in disputed areas.
Both countries employed artillery and Cambodia made frequent use of truck-mounted rockets. Thailand retaliated with airstrikes carried out by jet fighters.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Brazilian judge places ex-president Bolsonaro under house arrest
Bolsonaro, an ally of US President Donald Trump, is on trial at the Supreme Court for allegedly plotting to cling onto power after losing 2022 elections to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Last month, he was ordered to wear an ankle bracelet and barred from using social media after being accused of trying to disrupt the trial with fiery speeches shared online by his sons and allies. Under the ban, third parties are barred from sharing his public remarks. On Sunday, allies of Bolsonaro, 70, defied the court order by broadcasting a live call between the former army captain and his son at a solidarity rally in Rio de Janeiro, one of several held across Brazil. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes reacted furiously, declaring Monday that the judiciary would not allow a defendant to "treat it like a fool" because of his "political and economic power." Criticizing Bolsonaro's "repeated failure" to comply with the court's restrictions, he ordered him placed under house arrest at his home in the capital Brasilia. He also barred the country's former leader (2019-2022) from receiving visitors, apart from his lawyers, and from using any mobile phones. The new measures were expected to be met with fury in Washington. Last week, Trump already imposed massive tariffs on Brazil and sanctioned Moraes for what he termed his "witch hunt" against Bolsonaro. 'Thank you Trump' Trump's pressure campaign, including 50-percent tariffs on a raft of Brazilian goods, including coffee, has endeared him to Bolsonaro's conservative base. At Sunday's rallies, some demonstrators waved US flags or held signs reading "Thank you Trump." Bolsonaro himself did not attend the rallies, having been ordered by the Supreme Court to stay home at night and at weekends throughout the trial. He faces a heavy prison sentence in the trial, which is expected to be concluded in the coming weeks. The crusading Moraes has become a figure of hate on the Brazilian and American right for taking the fight to the far right. He has repeatedly clashed with Bolsonaro as well as X owner Elon Musk, whom he accuses of failing to fight disinformation. © 2025 AFP
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
Brazil's Supreme Court orders house arrest for Bolsonaro
Brazil's Supreme Court on Monday, August 4, ordered the house arrest for the country's former President Jair Bolsonaro, on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election – a case that has gripped the South American country as it faces a trade war with the Trump administration. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case against Bolsonaro before the top court, said in his decision that the 70-year-old former president had violated precautionary measures imposed on him by posting content on the social media channels of his three lawmaker sons. On Sunday, Bolsonaro addressed supporters in Rio de Janeiro through the phone of one of his sons, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. 'Witch hunt' The trial of the far-right leader is receiving renewed attention after US President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to the judicial situation of Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. Trump has called the proceedings a "witch hunt," triggering nationalist reactions from leaders of all branches of power in Brazil, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Following news of the arrest order, a staffer with Brazil's federal police told The Associated Press that federal agents were currently at Bolsonaro's residence in the capital of Brasilia to seize cell phones, as ordered by de Moraes in his decision. The staffer spoke on condition of anonymity due to their lack of authorization to speak about the matter publicly. Bolsonaro is expected to remain in Brasilia for his house arrest as he is not allowed to travel. He also has a house in Rio de Janeiro, where he held his electoral base as a lawmaker for three decades. Brazil's prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of heading a criminal organization that plotted to overturn the election, including plans to kill Lula and Justice de Moraes after the far-right leader narrowly lost his reelection bid in 2022. Monday's order followed one from the top court last month that ordered Bolsonaro to wear an electronic ankle monitor and imposed a curfew on his activities while the proceedings are underway. De Moraes added in his ruling that Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022, has spread messages with "a clear content of encouragement and instigation to attacks against the Supreme Court and a blatant support for foreign intervention in the Brazilian Judiciary." Last week, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression and the ongoing trial of Bolsonaro. The move from the Brazilian justice comes a day after tens of thousands of Bolsonaro supporters took the streets in the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, pleading for Brazil's congress to pardon him and hundreds of others who are under trial for their roles in the destruction of government buildings in Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023. De Moraes also said in his ruling that Bolsonaro "addressed protesters gathered in Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro" on Sunday so his supporters could "try to coerce the Supreme Court." The latest decision from the top court keeps Boslonaro under ankle monitoring, allows only family members and lawyers to visit him and seizes all mobile phones from his home.
Fashion Network
7 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Switzerland's government to hold special meeting over Trump's huge tariff on Swiss imports
Switzerland's government will hold an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Monday to discuss its response to President Donald Trump 's 39% tariff on Swiss imports, which threatens to inflict heavy damage to its US-dependent luxury goods industry. Switzerland was left stunned on Friday after Trump hit the country with one of the highest tariffs in his global trade reset, with industry associations warning that tens of thousands of jobs were at risk. The duties are scheduled to go into effect on Thursday, giving Switzerland a small window to strike a better deal. Industry leaders and politicians were struggling to understand why the country was singled out - the EU, Japan and South Korea, for example, face 15% levies - but Switzerland had a 38.5 billion Swiss franc (48 billion dollar) trade surplus with the United States last year. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter told Reuters on Friday that Switzerland had given US goods virtually free access to its market, and Swiss companies had made very important direct investments in the US. "The president (Trump) is really focused on the trade deficit, because he thinks that this is a loss for the United States, that every year with Swiss exports, the United States loses, well, 38.5 billion (francs)," she told Reuters. Further measures would have to be discussed by the full Swiss cabinet, she said. "I'm not ready to make an offer today. I think we have to discuss that in government," Keller-Sutter said. Swiss officials have rejected reports that the higher than expected tariffs were imposed after a bad-tempered telephone call between Keller-Sutter and Trump late on Thursday. The government is open to revising its offer to the United States in response to the tariff rate, which is due to go into effect on August 7, Business Minister Guy Parmelin said on Sunday. He said options included Switzerland buying US liquefied natural gas or further investments by Swiss companies in the United States, its biggest export market for pharmaceuticals, watches and machinery. An index of Swiss blue-chip stocks hit its lowest level since mid-April on Monday, as shares in banks, luxury retailers and pharma companies tumbled. The SMI index was last down 0.6% on the day, compared with a 0.6% rise in the regional STOXX 600 index. In Zurich, shares in high-end watchmakers such as Richemont and Swatch fell in volatile trading. Richemont stock was last down 0.8%, having dropped as much as 3.5% earlier, while Swatch shares were down 0.7%, having fallen by as much as 5%. Possible US tariffs on pharmaceutical imports are being considered separately. On Monday, the Swiss franc was the worst-performing major currency against the dollar, which was last up 0.7% at 0.809 francs, not far off Friday's one-month highs.
