Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has brushed off criticism from a retired Thai general who accused him of meddling in Thailand’s internal affairs by hosting the recent signing of the Thai-Cambodian peace accord in Kuala Lumpur.
Focus Malaysia news website reported that Anwar was responding to critics who shared a video of Gen Rangsi Kitiyansap, leader of the little-known Economic Party, who also accused the Malaysian leader of being a “spy”.
It said Anwar’s critics have also been sharing another video in which former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) voiced embarrassment over former US President Donald Trump’s involvement in the same process.
According to Focus Malaysia, Anwar described the allegations by Rangsi, a former director of the army-owned TV Channel 5, as baseless and politically motivated.
He said it would be unintelligent to take the general’s remarks seriously.
Malaysia’s Chief of Defence Force Gen Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar also dismissed Rangsi’s claims, calling them disappointing and reaffirming that the Kuala Lumpur peace accord was endorsed by all parties under ASEAN principles.
Focus Malaysia also reported that SBY, Indonesia’s president from 2004 to 2014, said he felt embarrassed that Trump acted as a mediator, stressing that ASEAN should resolve regional conflicts independently.
Susilo Bambang said Trump’s involvement undermined ASEAN’s long-standing principle of regional autonomy in conflict resolution.
The former president emphasized that regional problems should be resolved through ASEAN mechanisms, not external power intervention.
Speaking in a recorded interview, SBY reminded that ASEAN’s non-interference policy has evolved under its new charter, which obliges member states to respect democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
“So it’s true that ASEAN has a non-interference policy. But now, with the new charter, there is also an obligation to uphold shared values,” he said.
SBY recalled that during his presidency, a similar border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand had been successfully mediated by ASEAN itself, led by then Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
“We mediated, and it worked. It lasted for 13 years until it happened again,” he said.
