By Jerry Fisayo-Bambi withAP
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Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire agreement on Saturday to end weeks of armed fighting along their border over territorial claims.
The ceasefire agreement, which took effect around noon local time, requires both sides not to seek further military action or to violate either side’s airspace for military purposes.
Thailand was the only country to carry out airstrikes in the fighting, hitting bases in Cambodia by Saturday morning, according to the Cambodian Defense Ministry.
The cease-fire agreement also calls for Thailand to repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers it has held as prisoners of war since the July fighting, after the ceasefire lasts 72 hours, a key Cambodian demand.
The agreement was signed by Cambodian Defense Minister Tee Seiha and Thai Defense Minister Nattaporn Narukpanit at a border crossing between the two countries, following three days of low-level consultations between military officials as part of the already established General Borders Committee.
The document declares that both countries are committed to an early ceasefire and subsequent agreement that ended five days of fighting in July, and includes commitments to a 16-point de-escalation package.
The original July ceasefire was brokered by Malaysia and forced through pressure from US President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges if Thailand and Cambodia did not agree. More details were formally decided at a regional meeting in Malaysia in October, which President Trump also attended.
Despite this agreement, the two countries continued a fierce propaganda war, and small-scale cross-border violence continued, escalating into widespread and violent fighting in early December.
Many casualties were recorded on both sides.
Thailand has lost 26 soldiers and one civilian as a direct result of the fighting since December 7, and 44 civilians have died as a result of the incident, local officials said.
Cambodia has not released official statistics on military casualties, but says 30 civilians were killed and 90 injured. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from affected areas on both sides of the border.
Both sides accused the other of starting the fighting and claimed it was self-defense.
The agreement also requires both countries to abide by international agreements against the deployment of landmines, a major concern for Thailand. Thai soldiers along the border have been injured in at least nine incidents this year, according to newly planted mines in Cambodia. Cambodia says the mines are remnants of a decades-long civil war that ended in the late 1990s.
Another clause states that both countries “agree to refrain from disseminating false information and fake news.”
The agreement also states that previously established measures for border demarcation will be reinstated, and the two countries also agree to cooperate in efforts to curb cross-border crime. This refers to online scams perpetrated by organized crime that defraud victims around the world of billions of dollars each year. Cambodia is a hub for these criminal enterprises.
This year’s border dispute between the two countries is caused by long-standing territorial disputes, recent political discord between the ruling families, and economic tensions linked to cross-border criminal activity.
