(AFP) – Thailand’s prime minister said he told US President Donald Trump in a phone call Friday that Cambodia was to blame for deadly border clashes, stopping short of declaring Bangkok was willing to halt fire. Fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours this week has killed at least 20 people and displaced around half a million on both sides of the disputed border.
Trump, who has claimed credit for a truce that halted a previous round of violence in July, said he would speak with the leaders of both countries to “get that one back on track.” “Trump said he want a ceasefire,” Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters after his call with the US president. “I replied that he’d better tell that to our friend,” Anutin added, referring to Cambodia. “It needs to be announced to the world that Cambodia is going to comply with the ceasefire.”
Each side blames the other for reigniting the conflict, which stems from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier. “The one who violated the agreement needs to fix (the situation) — not the one that got violated,” Anutin said, adding that the call with Trump “went well.”
– ‘Talk among themselves’ –
The United States, China and Malaysia, as chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, brokered a ceasefire in July after an initial five-day spate of violence. In October, Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, touting new trade deals after they agreed to prolong their truce. But Thailand suspended the agreement the following month after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines at the border.
In the northeastern province of Buriram, Thai evacuee Jirasan Kongchan said peace should come through direct bilateral talks, not foreign mediation. “I want Thailand and Cambodia to talk among themselves first, clearly and decisively,” said the 50-year-old farmer. “If Cambodia breaks the peace (agreement) again, ASEAN countries should step in, maybe impose some kind of sanctions.”
Cambodian evacuee Choeun Samnang, 54, said he was “very happy” to hear Trump had called the Thai prime minister asking for the countries to abide by the joint declaration. “I don’t want to see countries at war. I want both Cambodia and Thailand to have peace,” he told AFP at a shelter in Banteay Meanchey province.
At the White House on Thursday, Trump again boasted about having resolved multiple conflicts, but said that with “Thailand and Cambodia, I think I’m going to have to make a couple of phone calls… but we’ll get that one back on track.” Anutin said there were “no signs” Trump would connect further trade talks with the border conflict, but that he had guaranteed Thailand would get “better benefits than other countries.”
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© 2024 AFP
