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Over 500,000 flee Thai-Cambodia clash as Trump to urge peace

Hadriana Lowenkron and Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Bloomberg News on

Published in News & Features

President Donald Trump plans to speak to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia as more than half a million people flee a revived border clash, one of eight conflicts the U.S. leader has claimed credit for ending.

Fighting between the neighbors, which has killed at least 12 people, erupted over the weekend along their 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier. Both sides exchanged artillery fire, and Thailand deployed F-16 jets after accusing Cambodia of firing rockets into civilian areas.

“Tomorrow I’ll have to make a phone call” to both countries, Trump said at an event Tuesday evening in Pennsylvania. “Who else could say, ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries,’” he said. “We’re making peace through strength.”

Trump threatened the two nations with trade restrictions to stop fighting in July that left dozens dead. In October, he oversaw the signing of the so-called Kuala Lumpur Accords that sketched out a path to peace and included trade deals with both countries.

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have ebbed and flowed for decades, often fueled by the nationalist imperatives of their leaders. The duo have traded barbs over who fired first in the latest clash, and officials from both say they “stand for peace.”

The Thai army said Wednesday rockets launched from Cambodia fell near a hospital earlier in the day, prompting evacuation of patients and medical staff.

More than 400,000 Thai citizens have been evacuated from seven border provinces and relocated to shelters, with over 700 schools closed, Defense Ministry spokesman Surasant Kongsiri told reporters Wednesday. Thailand has reported five soldiers killed and 68 others injured since the renewed clashes began.

“We want to prevent a recurrence of attacks on civilians, but we want to continue to adhere to the principles of necessity and proportionality” as military operations continue, Surasant said.

The Thai army later on Wednesday imposed a curfew on four border districts in Sa Kaeo province between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. local time, to be in effect immediately until further notice.

Cambodia said Wednesday that Thai F-16 fighter jets flew over three areas in the northwestern border province of Banteay Meanchey before dropping two bombs on a village in Svay Chek district. Cambodia has reported seven civilians killed and more than 127,000 people evacuated across six provinces. Thailand later denied the operation took place.

 

“Cambodia was not prepared for any kind of heavy war with Thailand, but Cambodia is ready for self-defense,” Suos Yara, a spokesperson for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, said in an interview Tuesday evening.

Cambodia said it had withdrawn its delegation from the Southeast Asia Games, which are being hosted this year in Thailand, citing “serious concerns” from athletes’ families. The athletes will return promptly to Cambodia, according to the National Olympic Committee.

International pressure has been piling on Cambodia and Thailand to halt the fighting, which entered its fourth day on Wednesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement Tuesday strongly urging the “immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, and for both sides to return to the de-escalatory measures” outlined in the Oct. 26 pact.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who played a role in facilitating the initial ceasefire talks, said he had engaged with the two leaders of Cambodia and Thailand and his country will continue to support peaceful dialog. Malaysia serves as this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“While a definitive resolution has yet to be reached, sustained diplomatic engagement has ensured that no more serious incidents occurred during these critical hours,” said Anwar in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

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—With assistance from Philip J. Heijmans.


©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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