US to provide US$45 million to help implement Cambodian-Thai accords
The funding supports border stabilisation, demining, and efforts to combat scams and drugs
[WASHINGTON] The US will provide US$45 million in assistance to Cambodia and Thailand, the senior US diplomat for East Asia said on Friday (Jan 9) during a visit to the region, to help solidify President Donald Trump’s peace-making efforts between the two.
“The US will continue to support the Cambodian and Thai governments as they implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords and pave the way for a return to peace, prosperity, and stability for their people and the region,” Michael DeSombre, the US assistant secretary for East Asia, said in a statement.
A senior State Department official said DeSombre would meet senior Thai and Cambodian officials in Bangkok and Phnom Penh on Friday and Saturday to discuss implementation of the peace accords “and broader efforts to promote our shared interests in a safer, stronger and more prosperous Indo-Pacific.”
DeSombre said the US, which has slashed its global foreign assistance programmes under Trump, would provide US$15 million for border stabilisation to help communities recover and to support people displaced by the recent conflict, and US$10 million for demining and clearing of unexploded ordnance.
The US would also provide US$20 million for initiatives that will help Cambodia and Thailand combat scam operations and drug trafficking, and other programmes, DeSombre said.
The Trump administration has made combating the so-called scam centres based in South-east Asia a priority, as US citizens have been targeted by their financial fraud operations.
SEE ALSO
Navigate Asia in
a new global order
Get the insights delivered to your inbox.
Border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand flared up again last month after the collapse of a previous ceasefire deal brokered in July by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to end a previous round of conflict.
The South-east Asian neighbours agreed on another ceasefire at the end of last year, halting 20 days of fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides. The more recent clashes included fighter-jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages.
Thailand is a long-time US ally, while the US has sought to improve relations with Cambodia to try to woo it away from strategic rival China. REUTERS
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
