Cambodia closes all border crossings with Thailand amid renewed fighting, displacing half a million and contradicting Trump’s ceasefire claim.
BANGKOK: Cambodia has closed all its border crossings with Thailand following renewed deadly clashes.
The closure was announced on Saturday after Bangkok denied a claim by US President Donald Trump that a truce had been agreed.
The violence stems from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre border.
It has displaced around half a million people on both sides, with at least 25 people killed this week.
Four Thai soldiers were among those killed in the border area on Saturday, according to the Thai defence ministry.
Cambodia’s interior ministry said it would immediately “suspend all entry and exit movements at all Cambodia-Thailand border crossings”.
Each side has blamed the other for reigniting the conflict.
Trump had earlier claimed the two nations agreed to a ceasefire after his discussions with their leaders.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Trump “didn’t mention whether we should make a ceasefire” during their Friday phone call.
The two leaders “didn’t discuss” the issue, Anutin told journalists on Saturday.
Trump had hailed his “very good conversation” with Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
“They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
A ceasefire was brokered in July by the United States, China and Malaysia after an initial five-day spate of violence.
Thailand suspended that agreement the following month after its soldiers were wounded by landmines.
Evacuee Kanyapat Saopria in Thailand said she doesn’t “trust Cambodia anymore”.
“The last round of peace efforts didn’t work out… I don’t know if this one will either,” the 39-year-old told AFP.
Across the border, Cambodian evacuee Vy Rina said she was “sad” the fighting hadn’t stopped.
Bangkok and Phnom Penh have traded accusations of attacks against civilians.
The Thai army reported six people wounded on Saturday by Cambodian rockets.
Cambodia’s information minister accused Thai forces of expanding attacks to include civilian infrastructure.
A Thai navy spokesman said the air force “successfully destroyed” two Cambodian bridges used to transport weapons.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged both sides to “cease all forms of hostilities”.
Thailand has reported 14 soldiers and seven civilians killed, while Cambodia said four civilians died earlier this week.
At a camp in Thailand’s Buriram province, displaced residents reported that fighting was ongoing.
Thailand’s prime minister vowed to “continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm”.
After the call with Trump, Anutin said “the one who violated the agreement needs to fix (the situation)”.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said his country “has always been adhering to peaceful means for dispute resolutions”.
