Thailand Says Trump Call About Cambodia Conflict Is Set for Friday

President Trump is expected to speak with Thailand’s prime minister on Friday, as he seeks to burnish his self-styled image as a peacemaker by intervening in a border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that entered its fifth day.
The two men have a phone call scheduled for around 9:30 p.m. Bangkok time, according to the Thai government. Mr. Trump has said he would also speak with the Cambodian leadership but it was unclear when that would happen.
Six weeks ago, the leaders of both countries signed a peace agreement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with Mr. Trump in attendance. But the pact was always tenuous and it unraveled quickly, with tensions boiling over on Monday.
Since then Thailand has carried out air raids in Cambodia, which responded with rocket fire. More than 20 people have been killed along their disputed border and more than half a million displaced. The Thai army appeared to continue its offensive on Thursday night, according to some Cambodians living along the border.
Dek Koma, 25, who lives about 10 miles from a clash site in Banteay Meanchey province, said the shooting was intense and the shelling continued well into the night. “The explosions were very strong. They shelled heavily from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. — very loud,” he said. “Before, they didn’t shell much at night.”
When fighting broke out in July, Mr. Trump threatened both sides that he would scrap tariff negotiations if they did not reach a cease-fire. On Friday, he could use the same tactic. But the territorial dispute, which stems from a map drawn by colonial France, is decades old and likely to persist.
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