US President Donald Trump spoke by phone on 26 July with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, countries between which fighting has been ongoing for several days.
According to Trump’s assertion on his Truth Social network, both sides are “seeking an immediate ceasefire and peace” as well as the resumption of trade talks with the US.
“After talking to both sides, a ceasefire, peace and prosperity seem to make sense. We’ll soon see!” the US president wrote.
Fighting between the two Southeast Asian nations began on 24 July. The escalation of the long-standing border conflict has become bloody in recent years: the death toll, according to the latest data, reached 34 people, tens of thousands of civilians were forced to leave their homes.
On Saturday, it was learnt that the clashes were not limited to the northern border areas. There are reports of fighting in Thailand’s Trat and Chanthaburi provinces. These regions are in close proximity to popular tourist destinations, with the clashes reportedly about 150 kilometres to Pattaya and 200 kilometres to Bangkok. The area is more than 250 kilometres from the main front line.
Cambodia has accused Thailand of being the first to initiate hostilities along this stretch of the border, shelling Pursat province, including with heavy artillery shells. A naval battle was also reported near the coast.
The sides continue to blame each other for the outbreak of hostilities. Thailand claims that the Cambodian army targeted civilian targets, including a hospital and a petrol station. Cambodia, in turn, accuses Thailand of using banned cluster munitions. Both sides have used warplanes, artillery, MLRS, tanks and ground troops.
Observers fear that continued conflict could destabilise the entire region, where the countries are traditionally popular destinations for millions of tourists and important economic partners.
Earlier, Pakistani representatives nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation efforts to stop the armed conflict between Pakistan and India. Trump also claims to have achieved a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. However, Trump’s efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine have not yet succeeded.