Malaysia’s peacebuilding legacy and why the Global South deserves recognition
From Shakila Yacob
The July 2025 ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, brokered in Kuala Lumpur by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim under Asean’s auspices, was widely seen as a diplomatic breakthrough.
Yet the Preah Vihear Temple dispute was not a product of contemporary US-China rivalry, as some reports suggested.
Its origins lie in early 20th-century French colonial cartography, which placed the temple in Cambodian territory, contradicting earlier agreements with Siam (now Thailand).
The longstanding territorial and religious dispute, which periodically reignites, highlights the deep historical roots of regional conflicts. Sustaining the ceasefire requires ongoing, vigilant monitoring and diplomacy.
Colonial legacies have flared at key moments: in 1962, when the International Court of Justice awarded sovereignty of the temple to Cambodia; in 2008, when the Unesco heritage listing triggered military skirmishes; and in 2011, when severe clashes between army forces claimed dozens…
