Kuala Lampur, Nov. 23 -- NOVEMBER 23 - Malaysia's Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said the right thing at the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, and he must keep saying it. His reminder that all terms and conditions of Malaysia's role as facilitator in the Thailand-Cambodia border friction were mutually agreed upon by both governments is not merely diplomatic reassurance. It is the strategic foundation upon which peace and stability now depend. Facilitation by mutual consent gives the process legitimacy, clarity, and trust - the very qualities needed to prevent escalation.

Both Bangkok and Phnom Penh must amplify this point consistently. In the current information ecosystem, where rumours and nationalist...