Bangkok, Thailand – In a tense phone call amid escalating border clashes that have claimed at least 20 lives and displaced over half a million people, Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul urged U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Cambodia into withdrawing its forces and halting military operations before any renewed ceasefire can take effect.
The conversation, which took place late Friday, comes as fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops rages into its sixth day along the disputed 817-kilometer frontier – the most intense hostilities since a brief but deadly conflict in July that killed dozens and prompted mass evacuations. Anutin, speaking to reporters after the call, reiterated Thailand’s position that Phnom Penh bears full responsibility for reigniting the conflict by violating a fragile peace agreement brokered earlier this year.
“President Trump called for both sides to reinstate the ceasefire and reduce hostilities,” Anutin said, according to statements from his office and Thai state media. “I made it very clear to him that genuine de-escalation can only happen if the United States leans on Cambodia to stop its military actions. They violated the existing ceasefire, dismantled our trust-building efforts, and have been the aggressor all along.”
The renewed violence erupted on Sunday with both sides claiming the other fired first near the contested Emerald Triangle region, a flashpoint encompassing ancient Khmer temples like Preah Vihear and Ta Muen Thom – sites of a century-old territorial dispute rooted in a 1907 French colonial map and a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling awarding Preah Vihear to Cambodia, which Thailand doesn’t recognize. Thai forces responded with F-16 airstrikes on Cambodian positions, including rocket artillery sites. Reports from the ground describe exchanges of heavy artillery, cluster munitions, and even BM-21 rockets, with Thai troops advancing on strategic hills like Hill 677 and Hill 350.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence claimed nine civilians killed and 20 wounded on its side, while Thailand reported eleven soldiers dead and dozens injured – though independent verification remains elusive amid the chaos. Over 400,000 Thais and more than 100,000 Cambodians have fled to shelters, with evacuees in provinces like Ubon Ratchathani and Siem Reap describing constant fear and shortages of food and water. “Whatever it takes, just push through to the end,” said Visut Krimsilp, a 47-year-old evacuee in Thailand, echoing the desperation rippling through border communities.
This latest flare-up derails an October ceasefire signed in Kuala Lumpur under Trump’s watchful eye, following his intervention in the July clashes that he touted as proof of his deal-making prowess – even earning a Nobel Peace Prize nomination from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. That truce, expanded during an ASEAN summit and mediated alongside Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, collapsed last month after a Thai soldier lost a leg to a landmine Bangkok blamed on Phnom Penh. Thailand suspended the deal, accusing Cambodia of laying fresh mines and encroaching on its territory, while Cambodia decried Thai “provocations”, denies the mine was fresh, and appealed to the UN Security Council for intervention.
Trump, who has repeatedly boasted of resolving “eight wars” through phone diplomacy, pledged this week to “make a call” and get the truce “back on track.” During Friday’s discussion, he reportedly expressed understanding of Thailand’s stance and offered to “call anytime if needed,” but stopped short of immediate concessions. Anutin stated that Thailand’s actions are purely defensive, aimed at safeguarding sovereignty without seeking broader conflict. “No one wants war or more loss of life,” he said, “but we cannot allow violations to go unanswered.”
Complicating matters, Anutin – now basically Thailand’s caretaker prime minister after dissolving parliament this week for snap elections – faces domestic pressure to project strength amid the crisis. Critics, including opposition voices on social media, accuse his Bhumjaithai Party of stoking nationalism to bolster flagging popularity, while Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen – the influential former leader – vowed a “fierce response” and rallied support against perceived Thai incursions.
Anutin also decoupled the border row from ongoing U.S.-Thai trade talks, insisting that tariff discussions – a potential Trump leverage point from the July mediation – should not be weaponized against Bangkok. “We maintain that Thailand did not instigate this; we’re defending our people,” he told Trump, according to aides.
As artillery echoes across the border and ASEAN urges bilateral talks, the international community watches warily. Pope Leo XIV decried the “deeply saddening” violence from the Vatican, while India voiced alarm over damage to Preah Vihear, a UNESCO-listed Hindu temple it has helped restore. With no immediate breakthrough, analysts warn the skirmishes risk spiraling into a full-scale crisis, destabilizing Southeast Asia’s economic hub and testing Trump’s peacemaking credentials once more.
