Thailand’s caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday he is scheduled to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump as border clashes with Cambodia entered a fifth consecutive day.
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Anutin told reporters the call with Trump was set for around 21:20 local time (14:20 GMT). The U.S. president has expressed strong interest in intervening once again to halt the fighting and revive a ceasefire he brokered earlier this year. For a third straight day, Trump pledged to reach out to the leaders of both countries in an effort to end the violence.
Speaking at the Congressional Ball on Thursday, Trump highlighted his record as a global mediator and voiced confidence in restoring the truce. “We’ve solved eight wars. Think of it. Eight wars have been solved,” he said. “Thailand and Cambodia — I think we’re going to have to make a couple of phone calls, but we’ll get that one back on track.”
The militaries of Thailand and Cambodia have exchanged heavy fire at several points along their 817-kilometre (508-mile) border, marking some of the fiercest clashes since a five-day confrontation in July. That conflict was halted only after Trump intervened with calls to both sides.
At least 20 people have been killed and more than 200 wounded, while days of artillery and rocket exchanges have displaced hundreds of thousands of residents from border communities.
