Trump calls Thailand, Cambodia after new clashes

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said he called Thailand and Cambodia on Friday to bolster the peace deal he helped broker, after fresh clashes erupted between the Southeast Asian neighbors.

Trump co-signed a truce between the two countries on October 26 during a tour of Asia, touting it as one of several peace deals around the world that he believes should win him the Nobel Peace Prize.

But Thailand suspended the deal on Monday after an alleged landmine blast, and the two sides traded accusations of new clashes on Wednesday in which Phnom Penh said a civilian was killed.

Addressing reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Florida, Trump said he spoke to the leaders of both countries.

"I stopped a war just today through the use of tariffs, the threat of tariffs," Trump said after a journalist asked whether he was referring to Thailand and Cambodia.

"They're doing great. I think they're gonna be fine," he added.

The White House said he also engaged with Malaysia, which has been acting as a broker in ending the conflict.

Trump co-signedthe deal in Kuala Lumpur.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Saturday reiterated his "firm commitment" to the agreement, and said Trump would monitor to "ensure no armed clashes reoccur" at the border.

Five days of clashes erupted between Thailand and Cambodia this summer, killing 43 people and displacing around 300,000 before the truce took effect.

The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centers on a century-old disagreement over borders mapped during France's colonial rule in the region, with both sides claiming a smattering of boundary temples.