Trump's Mediation Fails: 22 Dead, 100 Injured as Thailand-Cambodia Conflict Escalates

Thailand and Cambodia have broken the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Donald Trump last October and have been engaged in armed clashes for five consecutive days, with the death toll rising to 22 and the conflict showing signs of escalation. On the 11th, Yonhap News, citing AFP and EFE, reported that since the 7th, both countries have continued fighting along the border, resulting in 22 deaths and 100 injuries as of this date. The Thai Ministry of Defense stated that nine Thai soldiers and three civilians have died, while the Cambodian Ministry of Information claimed that ten civilians have been killed. Around 400,000 civilians have evacuated in Thailand, and more than 101,000 have fled in Cambodia.

Thailand and Cambodia have broken the ceasefire agreement made last October and have been engaged in armed clashes for five consecutive days, with the death toll rising to 22, showing signs of escalation. Photo by AP Yonhap News

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AFP reported that as the armed conflict continues, the area of engagement has expanded from a few border regions to five provinces in each country, with battles taking place not only on land but also in the air and at sea. The Cambodian government has requested the United Nations Security Council to urge the Thai military to immediately halt all attacks and has also asked for a UN investigation team to be dispatched to verify the situation at the conflict sites.

Thailand and Cambodia have been engaged in a territorial dispute for more than 100 years over undemarcated points along the 817-kilometer border, first surveyed when France colonized Cambodia in 1907. After a small-scale skirmish in May, the two countries engaged in five days of armed clashes in July, resulting in 48 deaths on both sides and more than 300,000 refugees at that time.

Subsequently, a ceasefire agreement was signed in October last year through the mediation of President Donald Trump. However, when a landmine exploded in the border area of Sisaket Province, Thailand, on the 10th of last month, injuring a Thai soldier, the Thai government declared it would no longer honor the ceasefire agreement. Two days later, an exchange of gunfire in the northwestern border region of Cambodia resulted in the death of a Cambodian civilian, and since the 7th of this month, the two countries have resumed fighting.

Relief supplies being delivered to those who fled amid the escalating conflict in Thailand and Cambodia. Photo by AP Yonhap News

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Previously, around last October, President Trump claimed to have achieved a historic peace agreement, but the deal was unstable. In particular, Thailand was deeply concerned about the internationalization of the border dispute, and only reluctantly agreed to the ceasefire because President Trump used tariffs as leverage to threaten them. Both Thailand and Cambodia were just days away from a negotiation deadline to significantly lower tariff rates on major exports to the United States.

In response to the escalating conflict, President Trump is scheduled to hold separate phone calls on the 11th with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to demand a halt to the fighting. However, some remain skeptical, suggesting that even if President Trump manages to broker a ceasefire, the resumption of hostilities is only a matter of time.

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