Thailand and Cambodia agree to peace talks after Trump intervention
The move comes after Donald Trump intervened, suggesting to the leaders of both countries that continued hostilities would harm their chances of getting a trade deal with the US.
He posted about the conversations on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday and later said both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire.
At least 34 people, including 13 civilians, have died, while more than 200,000 have been forced to leave their homes to escape the fighting, now into its fourth day.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Sunday his country agreed to pursue an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire".
He said Mr Trump told him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following the US leader's conversation with Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.
The Cambodian leader said it was "positive news for the soldiers and people of both countries".
Thailand's foreign ministry expressed cautious support, reporting that its leader told Mr Trump Thailand agreed in principle to a ceasefire while insisting on the need for "sincere intention" from its South East Asian neighbour.
He called for swift bilateral talks to discuss concrete steps toward a peaceful resolution, the ministry said.
But even as hopes for a lasting peace grew, hours later in the early hours of Sunday, each accused the other of shelling targets across the disputed border areas.
2:41
In what appeared to be a sign of immediate progress, Malaysia's state news agency, Bernama, quoting Malaysia's foreign minister Mohamad Hasan, said the two leaders will open peace talks in Malaysia on Monday.
The two nations have been at loggerheads over border areas for decades and simmering tensions escalated into an exchange of gunfire, shelling and rockets on 24 July, with both sides accusing one another of initiating the violence.
Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia.
Relations between the pair deteriorated sharply after an armed confrontation in May that killed a Cambodian soldier. Nationalist passions on both sides have further inflamed the situation.
Both countries claim to own the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, among other areas.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
25 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Donald Trump 'caught cheating' at his Scottish resort as caddie moves ball for him
A video has emerged from Donald Trump's golf course in Scotland appearing to show a caddie dropping a ball for the US President on the fairway as he played a shot Donald Trump has found himself embroiled in another golfing scandal after footage emerged seemingly showing a caddie dropping a ball for him during a round in Scotland. While on a European trip and visiting his golf resorts, the US President was caught on camera playing at Turnberry when it appeared one of his caddies may have overstepped the mark to help him. The video, shot from within a nearby building, captures Trump arriving by golf cart on the left side of the fairway. With a bunker and some light fescue between him and the green, as he stopped, two caddies walked past – with one seemingly pausing to place a ball in front of Trump. The 79 year old exited the cart, golf club in hand, and approached the newly positioned ball, seemingly ready to take his next stroke. The clip concludes before he takes the swing. the Express. "Who needs a foot wedge when you have a personal ball dropper? ? ?" joked one user on X, previously known as Twitter. Another user humorously suggested, "Him and Kim Jong Un would be INSANE scramble partners." A self-proclaimed PGA professional chimed in with, "Such a perfect metaphor for our Commander-in-Cheat." Some social media users playfully admired the incident. "Wild... Looks like I need these fellas as Caddies with the way I hit it anymore," one comment read. This is not the first instance of Trump being accused of bending the rules on the golf links. Is Donald Trump a cheat on the golf course? Earlier this year, Samuel L. Jackson, the esteemed actor, alleged that Trump had cheated during a game they played together. When queried about who was the better golfer, Jackson confidently stated: "Oh, I am, for sure. I don't cheat." Trump has since refuted the claims of having played with the 'Pulp Fiction' star, asserting on social media that such a game never took place. Actor Anthony Anderson has echoed similar sentiments. During an appearance on 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' in 2016, Anderson remarked, "Trump is a great golfer. I'm not going to say Trump cheats. His caddy cheats for him." When pressed for details on whether he witnessed Trump cheating, Anderson affirmed: "Oh yes, several times. Several times." He recounted an occasion where both he and Trump had poor tee shots. "Trump hit the exact same shot but went 20 yards further left than mine," he explained. "I couldn't find my ball in this trash. Trump's ball had the fluffiest lie in the middle of the fairway." Anderson concluded: "Like I say, I didn't see Trump cheat because he was on the tee-box with me, but his ball was right there in the middle of the fairway." Sportswriter Rick Reilly has delved into these allegations, asserting in 2019 that Trump frequently manipulated his ball's position and even took credit for others' shots. In an article for The Sunday Times, Reilly revealed that Trump's caddies had even dubbed him "Pele" due to his frequent ball-kicking antics. "To say Donald Trump cheats is like saying Michael Phelps swims," he penned. "Trump doesn't just cheat at golf. He cheats like a three-card monte dealer. "He throws it, boots it and moves it. Whether you're his pharmacist or Tiger Woods, if you're playing golf with him, he's going to cheat."
Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump posts bizarre meme comparing Obama to infamous OJ Simpson episode
President Donald Trump has posted a bizarre meme of himself and Vice President JD Vance chasing down Barack Obama in a recreation OJ Simpson 's infamous 1994 police chase. In the picture, Obama drives a white Ford Bronco, trailed closely by six police cars. In the two closest cars, Trump is pictured in the driver's seat of one, with Vance in the other. While Trump is all smiles in his photo, he has chosen a less flattering picture of his VP, with Vance depicted as bloated and with long curly hair. Vance didn't take the unflattering picture to heart, sharing the meme to his own X account and adding a laughing emoji. The post he shared read 'look closer at JD's face. No way!' Trump offered no explanation for the meme, but it came amid his latest attack on Obama in an effort to shift criticism of his handling of the Epstein files onto his predecessors. He has repeatedly tried to distance his administration from his campaign promise to release Epstein's client list and investigate his cause of death after Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed no such list exists and confirmed he did die by suicide. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also released a declassified report allegedly implicating Obama and his administration of 2016 election interference that accused Trump of colluding with Moscow. Trump has accused Obama of treason, while Obama issued a statement denying any allegations. His latest post was a bizarre reference to a famous picture of retired NFL star Simpson, who at the time was accused of killing his ex-wife and her friend. Simpson was sensationally acquitted of the alleged murders during what was dubbed the 'trial of the century.' The decision is still considered controversial 30 years later. Trump's fixation on Obama's alleged crimes came after being asked yet another question about Jeffrey Epstein – a matter that is itself so explosive that House Republican leaders sent members home on recess, thereby avoiding a difficult vote on the issue. 'I don't follow it too much,' he said of the Epstein matter, before immediately turning the tables on Obama. Trump went on to share an AI generated video of Obama wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and sitting down inside his cell. Even as Trump tries to paint Obama as a criminal, the Supreme Court ruled in a monumental 2024 decision that the President of the United States has immunity from prosecution for official acts in office, in a case argued by lawyers on Trump's behalf. Trump was asked if 'presidential immunity' would apply to Obama before his trip to Scotland on Friday and the president didn't deny it, going as far as to say he'd done his predecessor a favor. 'He has done criminal acts, no question about it. But he has immunity and it probably helps him a lot. He owes me big. Obama owes me big,' Trump said. The ex-president's team argued in late 2023 that Trump, and any president, must have absolute immunity from prosecution over actions taken while in office or it could impair important decision-making. The 6-3 decision split along the court's ideological lines ensures that Trump will not face another blockbuster trial anytime soon - with the case sent back to a lower court to determine what is considered his 'official' versus 'unofficial' acts. Obama spoke out about the case via his spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush earlier this week, refuting many of the accusations circling around him. 'The bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,' Rodenbush noted. 'These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio,' Rodenbush concluded. GOP leadership in both the House and Senate are pursuing investigations into members of the Biden and Obama administrations as they fend off clamoring calls for transparency in the Epstein scandal enveloping the Trump administration. Democrats have portrayed the reintroduction of the 'Russian hoax' saga as a way for the Trump Administration to distract from the demands around Epstein. Trump has repeatedly shared outrageous memes since his return to the White House, including making himself the Pope after the death of Pope Francis and sharing an AI video of his vision for Gaza complete with bizarre bearded belly dancers and a statue of himself.
Reuters
25 minutes ago
- Reuters
Thai and Cambodian leaders head to Malaysia for peace talks
BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH, July 28 (Reuters) - The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia were set to hold talks in Malaysia on Monday to reach a ceasefire in their deadly border dispute, with the United States saying its officials would be assisting in the peace process. Thailand's government said it was attending talks arranged by Malaysia in its role as chair of the regional ASEAN bloc, while Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the talks were co-organised by the United States with the participation of China. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said State Department officials were in Malaysia to assist peace efforts, after President Donald Trump had earlier said that he thought both leaders wanted to settle the conflict. "We want this conflict to end as soon as possible," Rubio said in statement released late on Sunday in the U.S. and early Monday in Asia. "State Department officials are on the ground in Malaysia to assist these peace efforts." Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the killing in late May of a Cambodian soldier during a brief border skirmish. Border troops on both sides were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. Hostilities broke out last Thursday and have escalated into the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in more than a decade. The death toll has risen above 30, including more than 20 civilians, while authorities report that more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had proposed ceasefire talks soon after the border dispute erupted into conflict on Thursday, and China and the United States also offered to assist in negotiations. Thailand had said it supported calls for a ceasefire in principle but wanted to negotiate bilaterally, while Cambodia had called for international involvement. Anwar said he expected to chair the negotiations after being asked by representatives of the two governments to try to find a peace settlement, state media agency Bernama reported. "So, I'm discussing the parameters, the conditions, but what is important is (an) immediate ceasefire," he said late on Sunday.
