Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (left) and US President Donald Trump (right) witness the joint declaration signing ceremony by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (second left) and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet (second right), on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit on Sunday. (Photo by Zahid Izzani/The Edge Malaysia)
(Oct 26): US President Donald Trump oversaw the formalisation 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 signed the pact at a ceremonial event with the US president in Malaysia, which is hosting a regional summit and helped facilitate talks between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
“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.
Along with the joint declaration, Trump announced a trade agreement with Cambodia, as well as a framework trade deal and critical minerals memorandum of understanding with Thailand. The Thai prime minister later said the minerals agreement “will further promote resilient and sustainable supply chains for years to come”.
“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.
See also: Cambodia and Thailand to disarm their border after Trump’s peace deal
Trump also said the joint declaration — which he calls the “Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords” — will see the release of 18 Cambodian prisoners of war. Thailand later clarified that while it would eventually release the Cambodian POWs in its custody, it won’t do so until Cambodia withdraws heavy weapons and starts demining the borders.
Anutin said that his country would “begin the process” of releasing the detained Cambodian soldiers.
“Cambodia reaffirms the strong commitment to fully and faithfully implementing this joint declaration and to continuing to work closely with Thailand and all our partners to ensure that this peace endures,” Hun Manet said.
See also: How will America impact Southeast Asia?
Border clash
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 that was signed — 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, as well as the Cambodians, 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.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters after the signing that while the US and Malaysia did help to facilitate the talks, the substance of its negotiations with Cambodia are happening strictly on a bilateral basis.
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“This is not a case of mediation by third parties,” he said, before again pushing back on the Trump’s framing that the document was a peace deal. I would call it “the pathway towards peace.”
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. Hun Manet said he had nominated Trump for the award in an act of “appreciation” for Trump’s role in resolving the conflict.
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 was moved earlier in the day after the death of Thai Queen Sirikit on Friday, 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 honour the memory by bringing the blessing of peace to the nation she dearly loved,” Trump said.
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