Thai PM says he will speak to Trump late Friday on Cambodia clashes

Thailand’s caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Friday he is scheduled to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump late in the day, as fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border continued for a fifth straight day.

Anutin told reporters the call with Trump was set for about 9:20 p.m. local time (1420 GMT).

Trump has signaled he is eager to intervene again to halt the clashes and rescue a ceasefire he helped broker earlier this year. He has pledged for three consecutive days to reach out to the leaders of both countries in an attempt to stop the violence.

Appearing at the Congressional Ball late Thursday, Trump touted what he described as his success as a global peacemaker and voiced confidence he could restore the fragile truce.

“We’ve solved eight wars. Think of it. Eight wars have been solved, although Thailand and Cambodia, I think we are going to have to make a couple of phone calls on Thailand and (Cambodia), but we’ll get that one back on track,” he said.

Fighting between the Thai and Cambodian militaries has broken out at several points along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) border, marking some of the most intense clashes since a five-day battle in July. Trump intervened then with calls to both leaders, helping halt what had become their worst confrontation in recent history.

At least 20 people have been killed and more than 200 wounded, and officials say hundreds of thousands have fled their homes amid days of heavy artillery and rocket fire.

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