Cambodia, Thailand sign expanded ceasefire at ASEAN summit

Cambodia and Thailand on Sunday signed an expanded ceasefire agreement in Kuala Lumpur aimed at ending a bloody July border clash, with the ceremony witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysia's prime minister. The agreement, signed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, calls for the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand and for both sides to begin removing heavy weapons from border areas, officials said.

Trump said he played a role in brokering the truce and has publicly asserted that he used the threat of higher tariffs to pressure both capitals into negotiations. Malaysian officials, who helped mediate the talks, said maintaining the ceasefire and creating conditions for a lasting end to hostilities were central aims of the joint declaration. Malaysia's foreign minister emphasized that the country would not interfere in bilateral border negotiations between the two neighbors.

The accord follows five days of intense fighting in July along a largely disputed frontier, one rooted in colonial era maps. The clashes left more than 40 people dead and displaced...