According to a statement by US President Donald Trump, both Thailand and Cambodia are ready to end the deadly conflict on their borders through American diplomacy.
Trump said this when addressing crowds at Turnberry, Scotland, adding that he interacted with both leaders, urging them to seek peace or lose US trade talks.
US leverage shifts conflict toward talks
On Saturday, Trump warned the two countries that the United States would suspend the trade talks should the aggression persist. Within a short time frame, Cambodia accepted a ceasefire with no conditions. Thailand showed its willingness to have peace, but only when Cambodia showed positive indications that it was ready to be truthful. Trump stressed that his discussions with both leaders affected their readiness to resolve the conflict peacefully.
The US State Department also echoed its support for peace endeavors. Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for Washington, ascertained Washington’s resolve to cope with regional stability. Marco Rubio, who also holds the position of Secretary of State, called upon foreign ministers and urged them to exercise restraint by devising a de-escalation plan as soon as possible.
ASEAN to host emergency peace talks
After the clash, an emergency ASEAN summit is planned for Monday in Kuala Lumpur. The meeting will be guarded by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is now the chair of ASEAN. Thailand’s Prime Minister in acting capacity, Phumtham Wechayachai, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet will participate in the session.
The summit is designed to bring direct talks and prevent further military escalation. Regional leaders doubt that the peace talks will provide a lasting stability framework. US involvement is a significant return of diplomatic leadership to the region for the U.S.
Clashes continue despite ceasefire call
Nonetheless, the fighting continued on Sunday even after diplomatic efforts. New attacks were reported in both countries and blamed on each other in case of ceasefire expectation violations. Thailand charged Cambodia with firing an artillery attack into Surin province and attempting to reclaim territory around the Ta Muen Thom temple. To this, Thai forces retaliated through intense counterattacks.
Cambodia disputed all this. According to a spokesperson at the Defense Ministry, Thailand has launched a huge ground-based operation involving tanks and infantry. Cambodia argued that Thai activities were against the intentions of peace reportedly held by Thais.
On Sunday, Thailand reported one more death of a military victim, and the total number of persons killed reached 22. Cambodia reported 13 dead, but it was not clear whether that figure included a high-ranking general killed in action. The majority of the casualties are civilians.
In excess of 218,000 individuals have left their homes as the violence flared. Nings’ entire communities on the border have now been abandoned and have closed down their public services. These areas are in the hands of military troops as peace talks are yet to be reached.
