Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto praised Tuesday Malaysia’s peace broker role in the deadly border clash between ASEAN members Cambodia and Thailand.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently facilitated an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” between the Southeast Asian neighbors. The truce officially took effect at midnight on Monday after five days of intense border battle. Anwar immediately jetted off to Jakarta to meet Prabowo after hosting the Putrajaya talks. It was during this visit that Prabowo commended Malaysia for making a “breakthrough” in the peace efforts.

“Congrats for your ASEAN leadership. You have succeeded in mediating and achieving a ceasefire in the Thai-Cambodian conflict,” Prabowo told Anwar.

According to Prabowo, Indonesia “stands ready” to back Anwar not only as a Malaysian prime minister, but also as the ASEAN chair. He added: “We want ASEAN to always resolve their conflicts peacefully, with consultation, dialogue, and negotiation.” 

The border clash dates back to a 1907 map made during the French colonial rule to divide Cambodia and Thailand. However, the two nations had different interpretations of the map. The clash escalated dramatically last week, with both sides accusing each other of firing the first shots. The situation had forced mass evacuations on both sides of the border.

Malaysia currently assumes this year’s ASEAN chairmanship. Host Anwar had said that Cambodia and Thailand were committed to restoring peace and stability.

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