Malaysia’s PM defends Thailand-Cambodia mediator role amid meddling complaints
Certain political factions in Thailand and Cambodia view his role as harmful to their vested interests, analysts say
The backlash reflects how divisive the conflict has become, with factions in both Thailand and Cambodia viewing foreign-brokered truces as harmful to their interests. Analysts say Anwar is keen to avoid provoking such sensitivities, mindful of deep-seated distrust in Thai–Cambodian relations and Asean’s non-interference principle.
“Firstly, as neighbours, we are of course concerned [about the dispute], but we are not involved,” he said.
“We just facilitated to help them achieve a settlement or resolution to their conflict. We did not give them any specific prescription on how they should solve their problems,” Anwar said, adding that both countries regarded Malaysia as a “friend”.