Latest news with #truce
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
US ‘made trade deals' with Thailand, Cambodia, commerce secretary Lutnick says
Read more on this story: The United States has struck trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand, ahead of President Donald Trump's August 1, 2025, tariff deadline, according to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. In an interview with Fox News on July 30, Lutnick claimed that Trump resolved the war between Thailand and Cambodia because Trump 'uses trade' and 'made the deals with Cambodia and Thailand'. The White House and US Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for further details. On July 28, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a truce after five days of clashes that killed at least 43 people on both sides over a long-running border dispute.
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
US ‘made trade deals' with Thailand, Cambodia, Lutnick says
The United States has made trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand ahead of President Donald Trump 's August 1 tariff deadline, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Wednesday. Lutnick, who made the comments during an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, provided no further details. 'It's unbelievable. And because he [Trump] uses trade, he gets to invite me on the phone, and I listened all day Saturday while he's calling Cambodia, Thailand,' he said. 'And what happens on Monday? They announce a truce. And here we did today. We made trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand .' On Monday, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a truce after five days of clashes that killed at least 43 people on both sides, as a long-standing dispute over contested border temples boiled over into fighting on their 800km (500-mile) boundary. 'Numerous people were killed and I was dealing with two countries that we get along with very well, very different countries from certain standpoints. They've been fighting for 500 years intermittently. And, we solved that war … we solved it through trade,' Trump told reporters on Monday. That ceasefire is still holding despite both countries accusing each other of breaching the deal on Wednesday.
CNA
19 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire: Thai evacuees reluctant to return home despite truce
A ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia appears to be holding for a second day after five days of deadly fighting along a disputed stretch of their border. Despite the truce, evacuated Thai residents remain reluctant to go back to their homes and businesses. CNA's Jack Board reports from the border in Thailand's Surin province.
CNA
19 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
Thailand and Cambodia reaffirm truce commitment at China-facilitated talks in Shanghai
Thailand and Cambodia have reaffirmed their commitment to Jul 28's truce, following reports of sporadic cross-border skirmishes. Officials from both sides were in Shanghai for informal consultations, brokered by China. Beijing pledged to play a constructive role to promote a peaceful solution between the Southeast Asian neighbours. Leong Wai Kit and Saksith Saiyasombut report.
Reuters
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Thailand and Cambodia trade accusations but fragile truce holds
BANGKOK, July 30 (Reuters) - A fragile truce between Cambodia and Thailand held for a second day on Wednesday, despite mutual accusations of violations, and Cambodia took military attaches and diplomats to a border checkpoint destroyed by fighting to verify the ceasefire. The visit took place hours after Thailand's military accused Cambodian forces of breaching the truce at three separate locations along the disputed frontier. The Cambodian government denied this. The two sides agreed at a meeting in Malaysia on Monday to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to halt the heaviest fighting between the two countries in over a decade. There have been no reports of any exchange of heavy artillery fire since the truce was announced, but Thai and Cambodian troops were still massed along the frontier where fighting raged for five days at multiple locations. At least 43 people, many of them civilians, were killed and more than 300,000 people were displaced. At the checkpoint in Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, which was now a pile of concrete, bricks and metal, Cambodian military officials told foreign observers on Wednesday that Thailand had illegally captured 20 Cambodian soldiers, according to a government statement. "One of our soldiers managed to flee," said Major General Chan Sopheaktra, according to the statement. "We suspect two others may have died, but the rest are still being held by the Thai military, with no signs of release as of this afternoon." Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said Thailand's military was currently holding 18 Cambodian soldiers who it said surrendered in Sisaket province. They had been provided clothes, food, water and medical care, he said. "They are expected to be sent back to Cambodia after a permanent ceasefire is reached," he said, adding the bodies of two deceased Cambodian soldiers had been returned on Tuesday. Referring to Cambodia taking defence attaches to the border, Thailand's vice foreign minister, Russ Jalichandra, said Bangkok would soon do the same, when it was safe to proceed. "Cambodia was able to act more quickly than Thailand because they were the party that initiated the attacks, which gave them immediate command and control over the area," he said The Thai army accused Cambodian forces of violating the truce overnight, including with small arms, grenade launchers and mortar fire, spread over several hours at multiple locations. Cambodia called Thailand's allegations baseless. "Cambodia strongly rejects the ceasefire accusations as false, misleading and harmful to the fragile trust-building process," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chum Sounry said, adding the government supports a monitoring mechanism and independent observation. The ceasefire, which also agreed to halt troop movement, paves the way for a high-level military meeting that includes defence ministers on August 4 in Cambodia. Thailand and Cambodia have argued for decades over jurisdiction of various undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border and there have been occasional skirmishes, with ownership of several ancient temples central to the disputes. In May, a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief gun battle, which led to a troop buildup and a diplomatic crisis. The full-blown fighting erupted last week following Thai accusations that Cambodia had laid new landlines in the area that had maimed Thai soldiers. Phnom Penh rejects this.
