Trump says he will call Thailand, Cambodia to stop renewed conflict
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
People displaced by renewed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia take shelter at an evacuation centre in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said he plans to reach out to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia after border clashes flared up again
Fighting between the South-east Asian neighbours erupted over the weekend along their 800km frontier. They exchanged artillery fire and Thailand used F-16 fighter jets after accusing Cambodia of firing rockets into civilian areas.
The conflict extended into a third day on Dec 10.
“Tomorrow I’ll have to make a phone call” to both countries, Mr Trump said at a rally late on Dec 9 in Pennsylvania.
“Who else could say: I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries?” he added. “We’re making peace through strength.”
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said in an interview on Dec 9 that he saw no potential for negotiations in the border conflict, adding the situation was not conducive to third-party mediation.
A top adviser to Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet told Reuters the country was “ready to talk at any time”.
Mr Trump threatened the two nations with trade restrictions to stop fighting in July, which left dozens dead. In October, he oversaw the signing of the so-called Kuala Lumpur accords
The tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have ebbed and flowed for decades, often fuelled by the nationalist imperatives of their leaders at the time.
In the latest outbreak that began on the weekend, Cambodia and Thailand are trading barbs over who is at fault and accusing each other of escalation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement on Dec 9 strongly urging the “immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, and for both sides to return to the de-escalatory measures” outlined in the Oct 26 pact.
Both Cambodia and Thailand have said they have evacuated hundreds of thousands of people living near their border
Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said nine civilians had been killed and 20 seriously injured since Dec 8, while Thai officials said four soldiers had been killed and 68 injured.
Thailand has made clear its aim is to dent its neighbour’s ability to launch attacks, with a top general saying the army’s objective was to “cripple Cambodia’s military capability for a long time to come”.
Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said its troops had no choice but to take defensive action on Dec 9, accusing Thailand of “indiscriminately and brutally targeting civilian residential areas” with artillery shells, allegations Bangkok rejected. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
