Key points
- Over half a million people moved from border areas in both countries
• US President Trump says he will make a phone call to help stop the clashes
• Fighting renews a century-old dispute over colonial-era temple borders
• Trump previously co-signed a truce between the two neighbours in October
ISLAMABAD: Renewed fighting between Cambodia and Thailand has pushed more than half a million people from border villages, creating one of the region’s largest sudden displacements in years.
Renewed escalation in Southeast Asia has also prompted US President Donald Trump to make a phone call to save the truce he brokered in October 2025. The flare-up has also drawn a direct response from US President Donald Trump, who told supporters he plans to make a phone call to help end the clashes, AFP reported.
At a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump recounted a list of global disputes he claims to have stepped into diplomatically, ending with a surprise reference to the Southeast Asian neighbours. He said the fighting had “started up today” and added that on Wednesday he would “make a phone call” to the parties. He told the crowd he believes they will “get it” once he reaches out, asking who else could say they would “stop a war of two very powerful countries” with a single call.
The violence centres on old claims tied to French colonial mapping, which placed several temples and patches of forest under uncertain control. Both Phnom Penh and Bangkok accuse each other of firing first. Border units have exchanged artillery and small-arms fire, prompting authorities on each side to clear entire districts as a safety measure.
Trump co-signed a truce between the two sides in October during a regional visit, but the new escalation raises questions about durability of the agreement. Regional diplomats say the dispute has a history of sudden collapses in calm, often triggered by troop movements or local commanders reacting to small incidents.
Officials in both capitals say they are preparing shelters, food stocks and medical teams for evacuees. International agencies are watching for signs of a longer standoff, which could strain cross-border trade and disrupt farming communities already facing economic stress.
