President Trump earlier said that he would talk to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia via a phone call on Thursday and expressed confidence that he would be able to persuade the two sides to pause the fighting once again.
The renewed border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia showed no signs of calm on Wednesday as hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced in strained conditions and more people flooded the temporary shelters while the United States asked both the countries to “cease hostilities immediately”, AP reported.
The fighting was triggered on Sunday amid a longstanding territorial dispute and the skirmish led to injuries to two Thai soldiers and it punctured a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in October that ended the five days of violent exchange in July.
President Trump earlier said that he would talk to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia via a phone call on Thursday and expressed confidence that he would be able to persuade the two sides to pause the fighting once again.
“I think I can get them to stop fighting. Who else can do that?” Trump told reporters while mentioning his claim that he has stopped eight wars around the globe since his return to the White House. “Every once in a while, one will flame up again and I have to put out that little flame,” the US president said.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has vowed to continue the renewed skirmish while Cambodia’s powerful Senate President Hun Sen also echoed a similar response and has said the country would retaliate fiercely.
An AP report states that over a dozen people have been killed in the latest violence and more than 400,000 people have been evacuated as the fighting continues in four border provinces, Thai military spokesperson Rear Adm. Surasant Kongsiri said. Cambodia’s defence ministry said they have evacuated over 127,000 people from the villages.
In Thailand, casualties include five Thai military soldiers with dozens wounded. In Cambodia, nine civilians have died including a baby, and 46 others were wounded.
(with inputs from AP)
