President Donald Trump claimed he averted a renewed outbreak of violence between Cambodia and Thailand, saying his direct calls to both prime ministers helped stabilize a fragile ceasefire after a deadly border incident threatened to unravel the US-brokered truce.

President Donald Trump on Friday claimed he had averted a potential armed escalation between Cambodia and Thailand, saying he helped preserve a fragile US-brokered ceasefire that appeared to be unraveling earlier this week.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said his intervention prevented renewed conflict.
“I stopped a war just today,” he declared, attributing his diplomatic leverage to his willingness to impose steep tariffs worldwide.
“They’re doing great. They were not doing great,” he said of the two Southeast Asian neighbors after speaking separately with their prime ministers.
Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand had flared again after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Thai troops opened fire along the shared border, killing one villager and injuring three others in Prey Chan, a village in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province.
The area has seen repeated confrontations, including a tense standoff in September that ended without casualties. The Thai military countered that Cambodian soldiers fired first into Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, adding that no Thai casualties were recorded.
The latest exchange revived fears of renewed violence in a region long plagued by competing territorial claims dating back centuries. Much of the modern dispute stems from a 1907 French colonial-era map that Cambodia recognizes and Thailand disputes.
Trump had previously threatened to withdraw trade privileges from both countries unless they halted fighting, helping broker a temporary ceasefire in July after five days of clashes left dozens dead. The agreement was reaffirmed last month at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia.
While Trump said he believes both sides will now remain committed to peace, the ceasefire does not address the core border disagreements that have fueled repeated flare-ups over the years.
Published: 15 Nov 2025, 08:01 am IST
Related Topics
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Get Latest Mathrubhumi Updates in English
Disclaimer: Kindly avoid objectionable, derogatory, unlawful and lewd comments, while responding to reports. Such comments are punishable under cyber laws. Please keep away from personal attacks. The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of readers and not that of Mathrubhumi.

