KUALA LUMPUR – Thailand has suspended the Malaysian-brokered peace deal signed with Cambodia last month, after two of its soldiers were injured by a landmine explosion near the two countries’ shared border.
According to Bangkok Post, the two soldiers were injured on Monday after stepping on what the Thai army suspects were newly laid mines, while on routine patrol at the Si Sa Ket province.
Following the incident, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that his government will suspend the terms of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, backed by US President Donald Trump, which among others, outlines disarmament measures as part of efforts to normalise ties.
The suspension will see a halt in the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers in its custody, which was set to begin on November 21 under the peace accord. The soldiers had been under Thai detention since late July following an initial ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia facilitated by the US and Malaysia, the 2026 Asean chair.
Commenting on the suspension, Anutin reportedly told reporters: “Everything we have been doing until now will be stopped until there is more clarity.
“What happened shows that the hostilities hasn’t decreased as we thought it would. So we can’t proceed any further from here.”
A Thai government statement said that Anutin has asked the foreign affairs and defence ministries to lodge complaints regarding the incident with an observer team consisting of military officials from Southeast Asian nations. The prime minister is also set to fly to Si Sa Ket tomorrow to visit the injured soldiers and chair a meeting on Thailand’s position on the peace deal.
The latest explosion is the seventh such blast in four months, following a wave of explosions in July that sparked the deadliest border clashes in years.
Among others, the peace agreements calls for the removals of heavy weapons from border zones between November 1 and December 31, and cooperation on land-mine clearances. In addition, Thailand has also sought crackdowns on Cambodian cyber-scam operations operating across the border.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence has yet to respond to requests for comment, said Bloomberg. – November 10, 2025