Thailand and Cambodia have reached a new ceasefire agreement in Malaysia, witnessed and co-signed by U.S. President Donald Trump — marking the first major achievement of his Asia tour, which will conclude with talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The accord, signed on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, brought together Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and President Trump.
According to Cambodia’s foreign ministry, the deal includes the humanitarian release of 18 Cambodian prisoners of war.
The two neighbouring nations had previously agreed to a ceasefire in late July — a truce partially brokered by Trump — but mutual accusations of violations persisted in the following months.
Speaking ahead of the signing, Trump hailed the agreement as a “Great Peace Deal,” adding, “This is a monumental step. I congratulate Prime Minister Anutin and Prime Minister Hun for their courage and leadership.”
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, who represented ASEAN during the negotiations, said the latest accord focuses on deploying regional observers to monitor compliance in border areas.
“We want to ensure there are no more violations,” Hasan said. “Both countries have agreed to withdraw heavy weapons from conflict zones and begin removing landmines along their shared border.”
Analysts, however, noted that while the ceasefire marks significant progress, a comprehensive and permanent peace pact between Thailand and Cambodia remains to be finalized.
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