BANGKOK: US President Donald Trump has sent a letter to Thailand’s prime minister expressing his desire to see Thailand and neighbour Cambodia resolve their simmering border tensions.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revealed the correspondence on Thursday, one day after the Thai premier appeared to dismiss Trump’s continued role in negotiations.
Territorial tensions erupted in July into the deadliest military clashes between Cambodia and Thailand in decades, resulting in more than 40 fatalities.
The conflict forced approximately 300,000 people to flee their homes amid the violence.
Both sides agreed to a ceasefire after five days of fighting, with Trump helping to broker the temporary peace agreement.
The neighbouring nations have since repeatedly traded accusations of violating the truce terms.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet later nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, crediting his innovative diplomacy with ending the military clashes.
“President Trump has sent a letter to me expressing his wish to see both countries, Thailand and Cambodia, negotiate to find a solution to the conflict,“ Anutin told reporters in Bangkok.
“I will reply to him with our position… and if Cambodia follows them, Thailand is ready to follow the process,“ Anutin stated.
He specified Thailand’s readiness to negotiate if Cambodia withdraws heavy weapons from border areas and removes landmines.
Additional conditions included cracking down on internet scammers and relocating Cambodian citizens from borderlands Thailand considers its own.
Cambodia has maintained that its nationals have lived in the disputed border villages for decades.
When asked Wednesday if Cambodia’s Nobel nomination would advantage Phnom Penh, Anutin responded that he only cared about Thailand’s interests and sovereignty.
“If anyone wins the prize… good for them, but it is not related to what Thailand will do,“ he affirmed.
Anutin noted that while Thailand and Cambodia shared a border, their potential mediator resided on another continent. – AFP
