US President Donald Trump has vowed to make a phone call to calm tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, where fighting has resumed just two months after a ceasefire he brokered between the two nations collapsed.
In a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump boasted about his record as a peacemaker, claiming that in just ten months he had ended eight wars, citing examples from Kosovo and Serbia, Pakistan and India, and Israel and Iran. However, his efforts to mediate the current conflict were put in doubt when he acknowledged that clashes have erupted along the disputed border region in south-east Asia.
"I hate to say this one, named Cambodia-Thailand, and it started up today," Trump said, implying that he will have to step in once again to calm the situation. "Who else could say, 'I'm going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia.' They're going at it again."
The US-backed ceasefire deal brokered by Trump in July has collapsed, with both sides accusing each other of violating its terms. The conflict has left over 500,000 people displaced, and tensions remain high as neither side appears willing to back down.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that Cambodia had not contacted Thailand about possible negotiations, and the fighting would continue. In contrast, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen claimed that his country had refrained from retaliating on Monday, but began firing back at Thai forces overnight.
The violence has resulted in nine civilian deaths and 20 serious injuries in Cambodia, while four Thai soldiers have been killed and 68 injured. With neither side showing signs of backing down, Trump's intervention will be crucial in determining the outcome of this latest escalation.
In a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump boasted about his record as a peacemaker, claiming that in just ten months he had ended eight wars, citing examples from Kosovo and Serbia, Pakistan and India, and Israel and Iran. However, his efforts to mediate the current conflict were put in doubt when he acknowledged that clashes have erupted along the disputed border region in south-east Asia.
"I hate to say this one, named Cambodia-Thailand, and it started up today," Trump said, implying that he will have to step in once again to calm the situation. "Who else could say, 'I'm going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia.' They're going at it again."
The US-backed ceasefire deal brokered by Trump in July has collapsed, with both sides accusing each other of violating its terms. The conflict has left over 500,000 people displaced, and tensions remain high as neither side appears willing to back down.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that Cambodia had not contacted Thailand about possible negotiations, and the fighting would continue. In contrast, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen claimed that his country had refrained from retaliating on Monday, but began firing back at Thai forces overnight.
The violence has resulted in nine civilian deaths and 20 serious injuries in Cambodia, while four Thai soldiers have been killed and 68 injured. With neither side showing signs of backing down, Trump's intervention will be crucial in determining the outcome of this latest escalation.
... I mean, eight wars ended in just ten months? that sounds like a pretty big claim to me 
. and what about the ceasefire deal collapsing like two months ago? shouldn't we be more worried about how that happened instead of him trying to fix it now?
? I mean, it's not easy to make peace between countries with a history like Thailand and Cambodia. but, like, shouldn't he be more prepared this time around? 
I guess only time will tell if his "phone call" will actually make a difference 
... calming wars like it's his job. Newsflash Donald: brokering peace is hard work and you can't just phone a friend to solve everything. Those countries have been fighting for ages, it's not gonna take one call to stop. Cambodia-Thailand conflict has gone on forever, way before Trump got involved. 500k people displaced already? That's crazy 
. If anyone can do something about this, it should be the UN or ASEAN, not some dude who thinks he's a superhero 
. Trump's got some nerve thinking he's still a peacemaker after that Kosovo and Serbia debacle... yeah right 
.
500k people displaced just two months after a ceasefire was supposed to hold and he's still gonna try to make a phone call to calm it down. 
like what makes him think that's even gonna work this time? 
. I mean, it's like one minute you got a ceasefire, next thing you know, it's all back to chaos. What's really interesting is Trump's take on this situation... he's all like "I'm the peacemaker" 
. The thing is, nobody can just wave a magic wand and fix conflicts overnight. It takes real effort and compromise from both sides. I think what we're seeing here is that neither Thailand nor Cambodia are willing to back down, which makes Trump's intervention super crucial 
. Maybe this is an opportunity for him to really show us his peacemaking chops? 
Something don't add up. Maybe Trump should focus on his own country's problems instead of playin' the global peacemaker?
. Trump trying to make a phone call to calm things down is nice, but sometimes words aren't enough and people need to talk face-to-face or negotiate properly 
. I worry about those 500,000 displaced folks, it's heartbreaking thinking about their lives being turned upside down 
.
And now he's all like "I'll just make a phone call and stop the war"... easy for him to say, right? 
The fact that he's only now acknowledging the clashes happening along the border just seems fishy. 
Can we trust him to actually make a difference this time? 
. I mean, I know he's got some experience with making calls and stuff, but how many times does it take for him to realize that sometimes you gotta back up what you say with action, not just words? 
. Can't they just talk things out like civilized countries? 
. This phone call thing is gonna be a lot more effective if he's actually working behind the scenes, getting everyone on the same page 
. We'll see what happens 
I'm so frustrated with Trump's comments on this whole thing... like, he's bragging about ending wars in Kosovo, Serbia, Pakistan, India, and Israel but he can't even keep Cambodia-Thailand from going to war 