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Donald Trump said he will speak to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to stop the fierce border fighting that erupted again between the two neighbours, months after a truce brokered by the US President.
Trump was credited with ending the hostilities between the two countries in July this year and bringing them to the table to sign a ceasefire to maintain peace at the contested border.
However, the truce signed in an October summit in Trump’s presence collapsed early on December 8 after the two blamed each other for starting the clashes.
“I hate to say this, Cambodia and Thailand started up today and tomorrow I am going to have to make a phone call,” Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania Tuesday evening.
Trump boasted of ending at least eight conflicts in the last 11 months of his presidency, including between Pakistan and India, and Israel and Iran, before commenting on the renewed conflict in Southeast Asia.
“Who else could say ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war between two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia,” Trump said.
The hostilities are rooted in a longstanding dispute that dates back to the early 20th century, largely stemming from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand has argued is inaccurate. Many Thais are still angered by a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice, which awarded sovereignty of disputed land to Cambodia – a decision reaffirmed in 2013. The disagreement fuelled several armed clashes between 2008 and 2011.
(INDEPENDENT)
