Cambodia, Thailand Sign Expansion Of Ceasefire: Trump Hails 'Peace Deal'

US President Donald Trump oversaw the formalization of an agreement between Thailand and Cambodia to manage their border dispute, advancing a ceasefire he helped broker as he looks to bolster his case for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet gathered with the US president for the ceremonial event in Malaysia, which is hosting a regional summit and helped facilitate talks between the Southeast Asian neighbors. 

“This is so exciting, because we did something that a lot of people said couldn’t be done, and we saved maybe millions of lives,” Trump said.

Under the deal, the US is agreeing to “a major trade deal with Cambodia and a very important critical minerals agreement with Thailand,” Trump said, without providing details of the agreements.

The peace deal — which Trump billed the “Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords” — will also see the release of 18 Cambodian prisoners of war, as well as observers from Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, deployed in a bid to hold the peace. 

“On behalf of the United States, I’m proud to help settle this conflict and forge a future for the region where proud, independent nations can prosper and thrive,” Trump said.

The five-day border clash earlier this year left more than 40 people dead and displaced thousands living in the area. Thailand and Cambodia reached a fragile ceasefire in July after Trump threatened to block trade deals unless the fighting ceased. 

Diplomatic ties still remain delicate, with both governments accusing each other of aggravating the situation, and tensions linger over whether Sunday’s ceremony amounts to a formal peace accord. Last week, Trump wrote to Anutin urging a peaceful resolution to the conflict, and the Thais have said he’s used it as leverage in trade talks. 

The significance of the document signed Sunday — and even what to call it — has been a subtle point of disagreement between the US and Thailand. While Trump has called it a “peace deal,” the Thais have referred to it as a “declaration” focused on the border.

Cambodia has been amenable to Trump’s efforts to mediate, and nominated him for the Nobel for his role in ending the border clash. Thailand, which has a stronger military and is a US treaty ally, has resisted outside intervention. 

Thailand’s Anutin said peace will come only after Cambodia meets four conditions: withdrawing troops, removing land mines, cracking down on cyber-scam operations and resettling Cambodian citizens he says are encroaching on Thai territory.

Trump has claimed that he has ended eight wars since returning to the White House in January, and has publicly said he thinks he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. 

A spokesman for the Thai government said this month the US had made resolving the conflict part of the negotiations over a trade deal between the two nations. The US hit both countries’ goods with a 19% tariff. 

The ceremony on Sunday was moved earlier in the day after the death on Friday of Thai Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, wife of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. She was 93. 

Trump told Anutin that he extended his “deepest condolences” to the entire nation. “Today, we honor the memory by bringing the blessing of peace to the nation she dearly loved,” Trump said.