US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, David Sandbré, announced on the 9th that the United States will provide a total of approximately $45 million (about 180 million ringgit) in aid to assist residents displaced by the recent Thailand-Cambodia conflict and to support demining work along the border.
According to Central News Agency reports, Sandbré stated during an online press conference that $20 million will assist the two countries in combating drug smuggling and online fraud, $15 million will help residents affected by the conflict, and another $10 million will be used for demining operations.
He emphasized that a key factor in the ceasefire along the Thailand-Cambodia border was the personal mediation of US President Trump. Recalling when conflict broke out on the border in the middle of last year, Trump called the leaders of both Thailand and Cambodia to urge a ceasefire, warning that some US cooperation programs would be suspended if the conflict continued. Thailand and Cambodia subsequently reached a ceasefire agreement on July 28 last year.
Sandbré said the US has continued to maintain close contact with Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Even when multiple conflicts broke out during the period and rendered the ceasefire agreement invalid, the US intervened swiftly, and eventually facilitated another ceasefire on December 27 last year, maintaining stability through an ASEAN observation mission and bilateral mechanisms.
“I don’t think China did much”
As for whether China played a role in the mediation process, Sandbré emphasized that, under Trump’s leadership, the US made significant efforts to achieve the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire, and he was not clear on what role, if any, China played.
He said: “Other than holding one meeting after the last ceasefire, I really don’t know what China did, so I don’t think China did much.”
Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire agreement on December 27 last year, which took effect at noon that day.