Thailand: 'Hostilities' with Cambodia remain despite peace pact

BANGKOK, November 12 ------ Thailand's military said that "hostilities still remain" with Cambodia, a day after Bangkok suspended the implementation of a United States-backed peace deal over a landmine blast that wounded four troops. The deal, brokered by US President Donald Trump in October, was meant to wind down a conflict that peaked with five days of clashes in July that killed at least 43 people and displaced about 300,000 civilians on both sides.

Both sides agreed under the pact to withdraw heavy weapons from the border region and to give access to ceasefire monitors. Thailand also pledged to return 18 captured Cambodian troops. Cambodia said the situation on the border "remains calm." But Thailand's response suggested that tensions have returned with the suspension of the pact's implementation. "The truth has become clear that hostilities still remain," Royal Thai Army (RTA) chief Pana Klaewblaudtuk said in a statement. "The Thai Army needs to suspend the joint declaration to safeguard our right to self-defense," he added, referring to the pact.

Thailand has often accused Cambodia of laying new landmines along their border in breach of the Ottawa Convention banning antipersonnel mines. The RTA said four soldiers were wounded by Monday's landmine blast in Sisaket province.

'Predictable'

Apparent mine blasts wounding Thai troops were a key catalyst when tensions flared in July, igniting a long-standing territorial dispute over a smattering of border temples.

Cambodia's defense ministry said on Tuesday it "expresses its regret" over the latest mine blast, but that the munitions were relics of past conflicts. "After the incident, both military forces on the front lines had communicated with each other, and as of now, the situation remains calm," it said in a statement. The ministry also said Cambodia "remains committed" to the peace deal, signed in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26 under the stewardship of Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

International Crisis Group's senior analyst for Southeast Asia, Matthew Wheeler, said it was "predictable" that the agreement would break down. "It was plainly concluded to placate President Trump on matters unrelated to the conflict, namely trade, and Trump's desire to be perceived as a peacemaker," he said in a statement.

Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has confirmed he will delay the release of the captured Cambodian troops, a key plank of the peace plan. Anutin led a National Security Council meeting in the Thai capital, Bangkok, on Tuesday morning and was due to travel to Sisaket later to meet the wounded soldiers. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters the suspension of the deal's implementation would be reported to the US and Malaysia. "It is also important that Cambodia takes responsibility by showing regret, participating in the investigation and ensuring this does not happen again," Sihasak said.

Source: manilatimes.net