International Desk: In a significant move defying a US-mediated agreement, Thailand has announced it is suspending all actions under the ceasefire deal with Cambodia. The decision comes after two Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion in the volatile border region.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated on Monday that his country will halt all activities under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement until its demands are met. This comment came just hours after the landmine blast injured the two soldiers.
Thailand and Cambodia had signed the truce last month during a summit in Malaysia. The agreement was reached after a deadly, five-day conflict at the end of July, which was triggered by a longstanding territorial dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbors and resulted in several casualties.
Tensions have remained high, with similar landmine explosions occurring both before and after the major clashes. In a previous incident in August, three Thai soldiers were injured by a landmine while patrolling the border area.
Prime Minister Anutin stated that Monday’s incident shows that “the hostility towards our national security has not decreased as much as we had thought.”
He declared that all actions under the ceasefire agreement would be suspended until Thailand’s demands are fulfilled, though he did not elaborate on the specifics of those demands. There has been no immediate response from the Cambodian government.
The Royal Thai Army reported that during a patrol in the Sisaket province on Monday, a sergeant lost his right leg after stepping on a landmine, and another soldier was also injured in the explosion. Both soldiers are currently receiving treatment in a hospital.
