Cambodia Cuts Through Trump's Ceasefire Claim as Thailand Continues Bombing
Hours after US President Donald Trump announced that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to a ceasefire, Cambodia's defense ministry said the Southeast Asian neighbors continued dropping bombs on each other's territory. The Thai military used two F-16 fighter jets to drop seven bombs on various targets in December 13, with the Cambodian ministry stating there have been no signs of cessation.
Trump, who brokered the initial ceasefire deal in July, stated that he had a "very good conversation" with Thailand and Cambodia's prime ministers Anutin Charnvirakul and Hun Manet respectively, after which both countries agreed to cease hostilities. He also noted that they were ready for peace and continued trade with the US.
However, an upbeat Anutin told reporters on Friday that no agreement had been reached and that Thailand would continue fighting along their disputed border. The Thai prime minister even suggested that Cambodia should be held accountable for any initial violations of the ceasefire, not his country that supposedly started hostilities.
Despite Trump's assurance to ensure better trade benefits for Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin remains skeptical about connecting further trade talks with the ongoing conflict. He also dissolved Thailand's parliament on Friday after just three months in office, paving the way for early general elections next year.
Cambodia has long been a proponent of peaceful dispute resolution methods and has suggested that US and Malaysian intelligence agencies use their capabilities to verify which side opened fire first on December 7. However, with no signs of an end to hostilities, the fragile peace in the region hangs in the balance once again.
Hours after US President Donald Trump announced that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to a ceasefire, Cambodia's defense ministry said the Southeast Asian neighbors continued dropping bombs on each other's territory. The Thai military used two F-16 fighter jets to drop seven bombs on various targets in December 13, with the Cambodian ministry stating there have been no signs of cessation.
Trump, who brokered the initial ceasefire deal in July, stated that he had a "very good conversation" with Thailand and Cambodia's prime ministers Anutin Charnvirakul and Hun Manet respectively, after which both countries agreed to cease hostilities. He also noted that they were ready for peace and continued trade with the US.
However, an upbeat Anutin told reporters on Friday that no agreement had been reached and that Thailand would continue fighting along their disputed border. The Thai prime minister even suggested that Cambodia should be held accountable for any initial violations of the ceasefire, not his country that supposedly started hostilities.
Despite Trump's assurance to ensure better trade benefits for Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin remains skeptical about connecting further trade talks with the ongoing conflict. He also dissolved Thailand's parliament on Friday after just three months in office, paving the way for early general elections next year.
Cambodia has long been a proponent of peaceful dispute resolution methods and has suggested that US and Malaysian intelligence agencies use their capabilities to verify which side opened fire first on December 7. However, with no signs of an end to hostilities, the fragile peace in the region hangs in the balance once again.
i mean trump thinks he's a peace broker but it looks like cambodia isn't having it 
and now thailand's prime minister is all "hey dont blame me" lol what a politician 
cambodias got some serious backbone going on for calling out thailand's initial violation tho 
lets see how this all plays out
So like, Trump thinks he brokered this ceasefire deal between Thailand and Cambodia but it's actually a total mess right now 
. I mean, Cambodia just straight up denied that they agreed to anything and said the bombings are still going on 
. And the Thai PM is basically saying that Cambodia should take responsibility for whatever happened first 
.
. I don't know why he thought a quick phone call would fix this whole thing 
. It just goes to show that diplomacy can be super tricky sometimes 
.
. Anyways, it seems like this whole situation is really precarious right now 
and I'm just worried about what's gonna happen next 
Cambodia's not buyin it & neither am i... it's all about the $$, fam. Thailand's already got their parliament dissolved & they're thinkin 'bout more elections? meanwhile trump's just over here makin deals with countries that are literally fightin each other... what's good 
but then cambodia is all "nah bruh we ain't stoppin" 
and now thailand is like "we're good, we don't need no ceasefire" 
and trump is still trying to spin it as if everything is cool 
i mean what even is the point of a ceasefire if no one's gonna stick to it? 
anyway, i'm more concerned about thai prime minister anutin dissolving parliament after just 3 months in office - that's some drama right there 
and now early general elections next year? 
Cambodia's defense ministry should've come out and denied the ceasefire claim ASAP instead of letting trump get ahead of himself 
anyone think cambodia's just playing us for fools? 
... Trump's all like "peaceful" and stuff but then Cambodia's defense ministry is all "nope, still bombing each other"... what even is going on?! 
.
. But honestly, this whole situation feels super sketchy 
. I'm all about peaceful resolution methods too 
, which is why I think the US and Malaysian intelligence agencies should step in to verify what's going on. This conflict is like a messy layout – it's hard to read between the lines 
!
i mean, trump thinks he's a master diplomat but it seems like his deal was nothing more than hot air 
meanwhile, anutin is all about deflecting blame and calling out cambodia for their own alleged aggression 
. And now Cambodia's defense ministry is all like "Uh, nope, we're still bombing each other" 
. I guess when you're trying to broker peace, it's just easier to wing it and hope for the best 
. Anutin's approach is... creative, saying Cambodia should be held accountable if they started hostilities... that's like blaming the victim for being shot while walking down the street 
.
And, you know, Cambodia is still holding out for peace, which is awesome 
. So, even though things seem super tense right now, I'm choosing to focus on the positive vibes and see if we can find a way to make this work. 
. And then Anutin has the nerve to blame Cambodia for starting hostilities? That's just wild 
. Can't we all just talk it out like civilized humans instead of resorting to bombing each other? 
it just makes me worried about what might happen next. Can't we all just have some peace and stability around here?