Washington, D.C. [US], November 15 (ANI): US President Donald Trump held telephone calls with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia on Friday, claiming he used the threat of tariffs to help halt renewed fighting between the two Southeast Asian neighbors.
Trump spoke with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as tensions escalated following deadly border clashes earlier in the week.
“I stopped the war just today through the use of tariffs — the threat of tariffs. If we didn’t have that, other countries would use tariffs on us, and we would have no fair means of fighting,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to Florida for the weekend, CNN reported. “I spoke to the prime ministers of both countries and they’re doing great. I think they’re going to be fine.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he spoke with Trump and affirmed that both Thailand and Cambodia had withdrawn their military forces from the border, in accordance with the Kuala Lumpur Peace Agreement Framework.
“Therefore, I welcome the active role of President Trump, who has also reached out to the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand to ensure that any differences are handled in an orderly manner, to guarantee regional stability and harmony,” Anwar wrote on social media platform X.
One person was killed and three others injured in a cross-border clash between Thai and Cambodian forces on Wednesday, just days after Thailand suspended a peace pact. Both sides blamed each other for the violence.
The Royal Thai Army denied that its troops engaged in “unprovoked shooting,” alleging instead that Cambodian soldiers “fired weapons into Thai territory.” Thai forces “took cover and returned fire toward the source using only necessary force in accordance with rules of engagement to suppress the incident, protect national sovereignty, and ensure personnel safety,” the army said in a statement on Facebook.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote in a social media post that he thanked President Trump for his initiative, which helped establish a ceasefire and advanced the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration aimed at achieving lasting peace between the two countries.
According to Cambodia’s state news agency AKP, Hun Manet said Trump expressed a clear desire to see enduring peace between Cambodia and Thailand and would continue monitoring the situation to prevent further clashes along the border.
President Trump and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had hosted the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia for the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords on October 26. Thailand suspended the agreement on November 10 following a landmine explosion. Both sides accused each other of new clashes on November 12, during which Phnom Penh said a civilian was killed. Thailand has also delayed the release of 18 captured Cambodian soldiers, a key condition of the treaty.
“President Trump held calls with Thailand and Cambodia, in an effort to mediate the most recent conflict,” the White House said Friday. “He engaged with Malaysia as well to help end the violence,” the statement added, as reported by Thai public broadcaster.
Thailand and Cambodia have a long-standing border dispute rooted in maps drawn during French colonial rule. In July, the region saw intense combat involving fighter jets, missile strikes, and ground troops. (ANI)
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