Thailand and Cambodia brought an end to weeks of intense border fighting on Saturday after agreeing to a fresh ceasefire, marking the second truce in recent months and halting the worst clashes between the two Southeast Asian neighbours in years. The ceasefire came into effect at noon local time, and Thai officials confirmed that it was holding in the hours that followed.
Thai Defence Ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri said there had been no reports of gunfire after the ceasefire took effect. Cambodian authorities also said there were no clashes following what they described as a Thai airstrike earlier on Saturday, which occurred before the ceasefire announcement. Both sides indicated that calm had returned to the border areas.
The agreement, signed by Thai Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit and Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha, brought to an end 20 days of fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million civilians on both sides. The clashes had included fighter jet sorties, rocket attacks and heavy artillery exchanges, making it one of the most serious confrontations between the two countries in decades.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, both sides agreed to maintain their current troop positions and avoid any further movement. The joint statement warned that reinforcements or troop movements would only escalate tensions and undermine long-term efforts to stabilise the situation. Cambodia released the statement through its defence ministry, emphasising the need for restraint.
The fighting had flared up earlier this month after a previous ceasefire collapsed. That truce had been brokered with the involvement of US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim following earlier clashes. Its breakdown led to renewed violence, prompting urgent diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation.
In a bid to sustain the new ceasefire, ASEAN will deploy an observer team to monitor the situation on the ground. In addition, Thailand and Cambodia will maintain direct communication between their defence ministries and military leaderships. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Thai counterpart Sihasak Phuangketkeow are also scheduled to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in China’s Yunnan province to discuss the border situation and next steps.
Thailand and Cambodia have long disputed sections of their 817-kilometre land border, with disagreements dating back more than a century. While most of the frontier is peaceful, unresolved boundary issues have periodically sparked military confrontations, some of which have turned deadly.
The latest ceasefire also includes provisions for civilians displaced by the fighting to return home. Both sides agreed not to use force against civilians and to facilitate the return of people who fled during the clashes. Thailand has also agreed to release 18 Cambodian soldiers captured during the July fighting, provided the ceasefire holds for at least 72 hours.
Despite the truce, officials made it clear that the agreement would not affect ongoing border demarcation efforts. Disputed territorial issues will continue to be addressed through existing bilateral mechanisms rather than through the ceasefire framework.
Speaking after the agreement, Thailand’s Air Chief Marshal Prapas Sornjaidee stressed that ordinary citizens on both sides had no desire for conflict. He said war only brings suffering and reiterated that the Thai and Cambodian people were not enemies, expressing hope that the ceasefire would lead to lasting peace.
The renewed truce follows a period of escalating violence that began in July, when clashes along the border killed dozens and displaced nearly 300,000 people before an earlier ceasefire was reached. That agreement later collapsed, allowing fighting to spread from forested border regions near Laos to coastal provinces along the Gulf of Thailand. The latest ceasefire, brokered after intensive diplomatic efforts, now offers a fragile but crucial opportunity to restore stability to the region.
