KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s successful mediation of an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” between Thailand and Cambodia has drawn international praise and put Malaysia in the global spotlight for the right reasons.
The peace deal, brokered in Putrajaya after five days of escalation, was prominently reported by major global media outlets including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), The New York Times, Al Jazeera, and international news wires Reuters, Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Al Jazeera’s headline read: “Thailand, Cambodia agree to ‘immediate, unconditional’ ceasefire: Malaysia”, noting that “Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim says truce between the Southeast Asian neighbours to begin at 17:00 GMT.”
The BBC similarly reported: “Thailand and Cambodia agree to ‘immediate ceasefire’.”
Despite the involvement of global powers such as the United States (US) and China, Malaysia’s role as current ASEAN Chair proved crucial in preventing a broader humanitarian crisis stemming from the century-long border conflict, which had already claimed over 30 lives and displaced more than 300,000 people within just five days.
Anwar’s success in bringing both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to the negotiation table has been widely applauded.
Even the US acknowledged Malaysia’s leadership.
“We are grateful to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his leadership and for hosting the ceasefire talks,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the State Department on Monday.
This is not the first time Malaysia has played a significant role in mediating regional conflicts. The country has long earned trust as a neutral peace broker, having previously contributed to peace efforts in Aceh, southern Thailand and the southern Philippines.
The latest Thai-Cambodian conflict began with a brief skirmish on May 28 and escalated into full-scale fighting by July 24. The two neighbours have long disputed an 817-kilometre undemarcated stretch of their shared border for decades. - Bernama
