Talks planned as border clashes enter third week
Officials from Thailand and Cambodia are set to meet next week to discuss the possibility of reviving a ceasefire, as deadly fighting along their shared border continues into a third week. Thailand’s foreign minister said renewed negotiations are necessary after an earlier truce collapsed.
The two countries had agreed to a ceasefire in July, brokered by US President Donald Trump, but hostilities resumed earlier this month, with both sides accusing the other of violations.
July ceasefire described as rushed
Following a meeting of senior officials from both countries at a regional summit in Malaysia, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said the July agreement was rushed to meet diplomatic timelines rather than realities on the ground.
“We were sometimes in a rush because the US wanted it signed in time for President Trump’s visit,” he said, adding that a durable ceasefire requires detailed negotiations that reflect actual conditions along the border.
Military talks seen as prerequisite
According to Thailand, military officials from both sides are expected to meet on December 24, a step viewed as essential before any new ceasefire agreement can be finalized. Cambodia has not yet publicly commented on the planned talks.
Since fighting resumed, at least 41 people have been killed and nearly one million displaced. The conflict has involved artillery exchanges along the roughly 800 kilometer border, with Thailand also conducting air strikes on Cambodian positions.
Regional and global concern grows
At a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Malaysia’s foreign minister urged urgent attention to the conflict, warning of broader consequences for the region. The ongoing clashes represent the worst conflict between ASEAN member states since the bloc’s founding in 1967, raising questions about its credibility.
Both the United States and China have been attempting to mediate. China’s special envoy for Asian affairs recently visited Phnom Penh, reaffirming Beijing’s willingness to facilitate dialogue between the two sides.
Longstanding dispute with renewed intensity
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia dates back more than a century, with sporadic clashes over the years. Tensions escalated sharply in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed, and intensified further in July following a Cambodian rocket barrage into Thailand that prompted Thai air strikes.
Although leaders later agreed to an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” brokered by Malaysia and the US, the truce collapsed in December. With air strikes and artillery fire continuing, regional leaders now hope renewed diplomacy can prevent further escalation.