File photo: Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim, left, and US President Donald Trump, right, watch as Thailand’s PM Anutin Charnvirakul, second left, and Cambodia’s PM Hun Manet hold up a document after the ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement (AP)
The United States has announced a $45 million aid package for Thailand and Cambodia as part of efforts to reinforce a fragile ceasefire and promote stability along their disputed border.The announcement was made on Friday by Michael DeSombre, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, during an online media briefing from Bangkok. DeSombre is visiting both countries to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire agreements reached last year after deadly border clashes rooted in long-standing territorial disputes.“The restoration of peace at the Thai-Cambodian border opens new opportunities for the United States to deepen our work with both countries to promote regional stability and advance our interests in a safer, stronger and more prosperous Indo-Pacific,” DeSombre said, as quoted by news agency AP.According to DeSombre, the aid package will include $15 million for border stabilisation to help communities recover and support people displaced by the fighting, $10 million for demining and clearance of unexploded ordnance, and $20 million for programmes aimed at tackling drug trafficking and online scam operations. He added that the exact details of how the funds will be used are still being finalised.The fighting between Thailand and Cambodia, which flared up in July and again in December, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and killed around 100 soldiers and civilians, according to AP. Both countries accuse each other of responsibility for the violence, which stems from competing claims over sections of their shared 800-kilometre border, originally drawn during the colonial era. Several disputed areas include ancient temple ruins claimed by both sides.Landmines remain a major concern in the border region. Cambodia continues to deal with mines left behind from decades of civil war, while Thailand has accused Cambodia of laying new mines, blaming them for injuring Thai soldiers in multiple patrol incidents last year.The ceasefire, also known as the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, was formalised in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia attended by US President Donald Trump. Although the two sides initially agreed to stop fighting in late July, progress was slow until Trump intervened, warning Thai and Cambodian leaders that Washington would not move forward with trade agreements if hostilities continued.Despite the agreement, clashes erupted again early last month. After three weeks of fighting, defence ministers from both countries signed a renewed pact on December 27, committing to implement the October deal, as per news agency AFP. Thailand later accused Cambodia of violating the truce, which Phnom Penh said was accidental.DeSombre said Washington remained committed to supporting both governments as they work to implement the ceasefire. “The United States will continue to support the Cambodian and Thai governments as they implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords and pave the way for a return to peace, prosperity and stability for their people and the region,” he said in a statement, reported AFP.US aid to Southeast Asia had been sharply reduced last year after the Trump administration shut down the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, but the latest package signals renewed engagement focused on security, stability and US strategic interests in the region.