(Bangkok/Phnom Penh, 28th) Thailand and Cambodia announced a ceasefire on Saturday, ending a 20-day-long military conflict. The foreign ministers of both countries will travel to China over the next two days, at China's invitation, to discuss border issues.
This is the second time in six months that Thailand and Cambodia have reached a ceasefire following border armed conflicts. However, since the territorial dispute that triggered the conflict has not been resolved, whether the ceasefire can be sustained remains to be seen.
On Saturday morning (December 27), the defense ministers of Thailand and Cambodia met at the Ban Pakan border checkpoint in Chanthaburi Province, eastern Thailand. Afterwards, the two signed a joint statement announcing a ceasefire to take effect from 12:00 noon local time (1:00 p.m. Malaysia time).
About two hours after the ceasefire took effect, Thailand’s Ministry of Defense said it had not received reports of exchanges of fire at that time; Cambodia’s Ministry of Defense stated that the Thai military launched an airstrike on Saturday, and after the ceasefire was announced, there were no clashes between the two sides.
According to the joint statement, both countries agreed to maintain their current troop deployments along the border and shall not carry out any troop movements or reinforcements. Under any circumstances or in any area, both sides will cease all forms of armed attacks, including attacks against civilians, civilian and infrastructure, as well as military targets. Both countries also agreed to expedite the return of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes.
Thailand agreed that if the ceasefire lasts at least 72 hours, it will release 18 Cambodian soldiers detained since the first conflict between the two sides in July this year.
Thai Defense Minister Natapon said the first three days of the ceasefire are an observation period to confirm the seriousness of the ceasefire implementation. He told reporters that the enforcement of the ceasefire will be directly coordinated by both countries and monitored by an observer team formed by ASEAN member states. "The two defense ministers and military commanders will engage in direct policy-level dialogue."
The Cambodian side issued a statement on social media, saying: "Any troop reinforcements will escalate tensions and undermine long-term efforts to de-escalate the situation."
The latest ceasefire agreement does not touch on fundamental border demarcation negotiations. According to a report by the Bangkok Post, if the territorial dispute is not resolved, it cannot be guaranteed that the ceasefire agreement will be maintained.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, will visit Yunnan from Sunday (28th) to Monday (29th) for talks. Both Cambodian and Thai sides confirmed the arrangement and said the meeting will discuss border issues.
Regarding the ceasefire agreement reached between Thailand and Cambodia, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar, the ASEAN rotating chair, expressed his welcome and hopes the two countries will sincerely fulfill their commitments. He posted on social media that the various measures outlined in the joint statement are pragmatic and positive and can lay a foundation for regional stability.
The European Union also called on Thailand and Cambodia to sincerely implement the agreement. The United Nations hopes that the ceasefire will help both countries build mutual trust and maintain peace.
The shared border between Thailand and Cambodia stretches for 800 kilometers, and both countries have long had disputes over colonial-era boundary demarcation, with both claiming sovereignty over several ancient temples along the border. In July this year, the two countries broke out into military conflict, with both armies exchanging fire for five days, causing at least 48 deaths and forcing 300,000 people to flee their homes.
Later, under mediation by Anwar and U.S. President Trump, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire, and at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur at the end of October, witnessed by Trump, the ceasefire agreement was officially signed.
However, less than two months after the ceasefire, conflict broke out again on December 7. After several Thai soldiers patrolling the border were injured by landmines, Thailand announced it was canceling the ceasefire, and tensions quickly escalated. The Thai military immediately deployed fighter jets to bomb Cambodia, and the Cambodian side responded with rocket fire.
The second round of conflict lasted longer and was broader in scope, spreading from the jungle area near the Lao border to the coastal provinces along the Gulf of Thailand. This round of conflict resulted in at least 101 deaths and displaced more than 500,000 people.
This is the second time in six months that Thailand and Cambodia have reached a ceasefire following border armed conflicts. However, since the territorial dispute that triggered the conflict has not been resolved, whether the ceasefire can be sustained remains to be seen.
On Saturday morning (December 27), the defense ministers of Thailand and Cambodia met at the Ban Pakan border checkpoint in Chanthaburi Province, eastern Thailand. Afterwards, the two signed a joint statement announcing a ceasefire to take effect from 12:00 noon local time (1:00 p.m. Malaysia time).
About two hours after the ceasefire took effect, Thailand’s Ministry of Defense said it had not received reports of exchanges of fire at that time; Cambodia’s Ministry of Defense stated that the Thai military launched an airstrike on Saturday, and after the ceasefire was announced, there were no clashes between the two sides.
Thailand agreed that if the ceasefire lasts at least 72 hours, it will release 18 Cambodian soldiers detained since the first conflict between the two sides in July this year.
Thai Defense Minister Natapon said the first three days of the ceasefire are an observation period to confirm the seriousness of the ceasefire implementation. He told reporters that the enforcement of the ceasefire will be directly coordinated by both countries and monitored by an observer team formed by ASEAN member states. "The two defense ministers and military commanders will engage in direct policy-level dialogue."
The Cambodian side issued a statement on social media, saying: "Any troop reinforcements will escalate tensions and undermine long-term efforts to de-escalate the situation."
The latest ceasefire agreement does not touch on fundamental border demarcation negotiations. According to a report by the Bangkok Post, if the territorial dispute is not resolved, it cannot be guaranteed that the ceasefire agreement will be maintained.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, will visit Yunnan from Sunday (28th) to Monday (29th) for talks. Both Cambodian and Thai sides confirmed the arrangement and said the meeting will discuss border issues.
Regarding the ceasefire agreement reached between Thailand and Cambodia, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar, the ASEAN rotating chair, expressed his welcome and hopes the two countries will sincerely fulfill their commitments. He posted on social media that the various measures outlined in the joint statement are pragmatic and positive and can lay a foundation for regional stability.
The European Union also called on Thailand and Cambodia to sincerely implement the agreement. The United Nations hopes that the ceasefire will help both countries build mutual trust and maintain peace.
The shared border between Thailand and Cambodia stretches for 800 kilometers, and both countries have long had disputes over colonial-era boundary demarcation, with both claiming sovereignty over several ancient temples along the border. In July this year, the two countries broke out into military conflict, with both armies exchanging fire for five days, causing at least 48 deaths and forcing 300,000 people to flee their homes.
Later, under mediation by Anwar and U.S. President Trump, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire, and at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur at the end of October, witnessed by Trump, the ceasefire agreement was officially signed.
However, less than two months after the ceasefire, conflict broke out again on December 7. After several Thai soldiers patrolling the border were injured by landmines, Thailand announced it was canceling the ceasefire, and tensions quickly escalated. The Thai military immediately deployed fighter jets to bomb Cambodia, and the Cambodian side responded with rocket fire.
The second round of conflict lasted longer and was broader in scope, spreading from the jungle area near the Lao border to the coastal provinces along the Gulf of Thailand. This round of conflict resulted in at least 101 deaths and displaced more than 500,000 people.