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Soon after Trump arrived, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the deal on Sunday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.

As he made his first trip to Asia since returning to the White House, Trump co-signed the agreement with summit host Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who also attended the summit.

The Cambodian premier Hun referred to the agreement as “historic day,” while Thailand’s Anutin said it “lays the foundation for a lasting peace.”

Tariffs used as a threat

The two countries’ agreement builds on a truce that was reached three months ago, when Trump threatened to impose higher tariffs on both to put an end to five days of fighting that left hundreds of thousands of people dead.

Thailand’s release of 18 Cambodian soldiers and the elimination of heavy weapons from the border region are the first steps in the agreement, with Malaysian troops being dispatched to prevent resumption of fighting.

For decades, disputes have existed along the 800-kilometer (500-mile) border between Thailand and Cambodia.

Trump signed two separate economic agreements with Cambodia and Thailand following the signing of the ceasefire agreement on Sunday, including one that included a deal with Bangkok regarding crucial minerals and one regarding reciprocal trade.

In his opening remarks at the summit, Malaysia’s Anwar, who was also present at the signing, praised the agreement, saying that it “reminds us that reconciliation is not a concession, but an act of courage.”

Thais cautious

Tony Cheng, a journalist from Sa Kaeo, Thailand, claimed that the Sunday agreement essentially reinforced “agreements that have already been made.”

According to him, Malaysian troops were supposed to be stationed under the initial peace agreement that was signed in July, but they had not yet arrived.

He claimed that Thais were applauding the agreement as “the beginning of the end” rather than as a means of settling the conflict itself.

He claimed that “the details of this agreement” will reveal the truth.

He claimed that while some villages had recently constructed new bomb shelters, the Thai military had been attempting to clear some disputed border areas.

As it dropped torrential rain in the northern Caribbean and threatened disastrous flooding and landslides in Jamaica and southern Haiti, Hurricane Melissa has quickly grown into a major Category 3 with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Forecasters in the United States warned Saturday that the lumbering Melissa is anticipated to strengthen as it makes landfall in Jamaica in the next few days or two.

According to Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, “I urge Jamaicans to take this weather threat seriously.” Take all precautions to protect yourself.

Late on Saturday night, Melissa was concentrated about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 455 kilometers (280 miles) west-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

According to the hurricane center, it had winds of 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles per hour) at its strongest.

The Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston will be closed, according to Jamaican authorities on Saturday. On the island’s western side, they did not specify whether they would close the Sangster airport in Montego Bay.

In Jamaica, more than 650 shelters were set up. According to officials, the island’s warehouses were well-stocked and thousands of food packages had been prepositioned for quick distribution if needed.

According to the hurricane center, Melissa was supposed to pour torrents of punishing rains of up to 76 centimeters (30 inches) down on Haiti and the Dominican Republic in southern Hispaniola.

By the middle of the week, it should be close to or over Cuba. Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and Holguin provinces were issued a hurricane watch on Saturday afternoon by the Cuban government.

At least three people have died in Haiti as a result of the storm’s unpredictable and slow moving movements, and one more is still missing in the Dominican Republic.

It is becoming increasingly dire, according to Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, earlier on Saturday. He claimed that up to four days will pass slowly as the storm moves.

In Haiti, reports of rising river levels, flooding, and the destruction of a bridge in Sainte-Suzanne, in the northeast, were also reported.

As local authorities set up lines to distribute food kits, Ronald Delice, a director of civil protection for the Haitian department, said, “The way it’s moving is causing a lot of concern.” Many residents continue to be reluctant to leave their homes.

More than half a million customers have been impacted by the storm, which has affected nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, it caused a few minor landslides, downed trees, and blocked traffic lights, and isolated more than two dozen communities.

By early next week, the Bahamas Department of Meteorology predicted that Melissa could cause tropical storm or hurricane conditions on the islands of the Southeast and Central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.