ASEAN Leadership Redefined: Anwar's Quiet Diplomacy Halts Thailand-Cambodia Deadly Clash
By Wong Chun Wai
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- Let's give Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the credit when it is due.
For a while, many were left wondering how he was going to bring together two angry ASEAN member countries that were locked in a deadly conflict.
It didn't help that at one point, a Thai Foreign Ministry official was quoted as saying that it did not need a third country to be involved.
The spokesman, Nikorndej Balakura, reportedly stated that Thailand prefers bilateral negotiations.
But the Prime Minister quietly and swiftly went behind the scenes to orchestrate a landmark ceasefire.
It was complex, more so when it involved resolved historical tensions, but certainly with the hard work of our Foreign Ministry, Anwar pulled it off.
It is certainly a boost to his credentials as the chair of ASEAN 2025. It will be awkward for him to talk about ASEAN unity if the two nations continue to fire rockets at each other.
The five-day border conflict - marked by artillery exchanges and mass civilian displacement - ended with an 'immediate and unconditional' cessation of hostilities.
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