Cambodia nominates US President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize

PHNOM PENH – Cambodia formally nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize after the US leader threatened to halt trade deals unless the South-east Asian nation agreed to a ceasefire with Thailand in a recent armed conflict.

In a letter dated Aug 7 to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Mr Trump’s intervention in the conflict helped avert “a potentially devastating conflict” and restored peace along the two countries’ shared border.

He credited Mr Trump’s “visionary and innovative diplomacy” for the breakthrough.

Mr Trump had used his favoured bargaining tool of trade deals and tariffs to get

Cambodia and Thailand to agree to the truce

in July.

The ceasefire came after five days of clashes that included airstrikes and artillery shelling, which left dozens dead and displaced over 300,000 people along the roughly 800km border. 

The US president has repeatedly said he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in mediating conflicts, including between Pakistan and India and Iran and Israel.

Pakistan also nominated Mr Trump

for the prize, although India has consistently said Mr Trump played no role in securing the truce.

Recipients of the peace prize typically don’t lobby for the award. BLOOMBERG