Cambodia and Thailand agree to ceasefire after days of deadly clashes

Singapore: The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to a ceasefire after five days of fighting that has claimed at least 35 lives, including civilians, and displaced more than 100,000 people on each side of the disputed borderlands.

But within hours of the truce coming into effect at midnight on Monday, the neighbours were disputing whether it was holding. The Thai army said Cambodia launched attacks in at least five locations early on Tuesday, while Cambodia said there was no firing in any location. Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, played down the clashes, saying, “There is no escalation. Right now, things are calm.”

US President Donald Trump has claimed the ceasefire as a personal diplomatic victory after phone calls to both prime ministers on the weekend warning that continued hostilities would hurt their negotiations with his administration over tariffs.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet, (centre) speaks during a press conference on Monday. He is flanked by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.Credit: AP

Phumtham and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet flew on Monday to the neutral ground of Malaysia, this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and emerged from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s residence in Kuala Lumpur after almost two hours, having secured an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X: “President Trump made this happen. Give him the Nobel Peace Prize!”

Hun Manet, who is the son of long-time authoritarian ruler Hun Sen, said the meeting produced a “brilliant result” that would bring hostilities to a formal stop at midnight on Monday. In addition, he said, military commanders from both sides would meet informally on Tuesday.

A Cambodian military truck on the Cambodian side of the Thai border on Monday.Credit: AP

“I thank H.E. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for taking the initiative to co-ordinate and host the meeting. I also thank President Donald Trump for his support of the immediate ceasefire negotiation process to build peace through the United States as co-host of today’s meeting,” Hun Manet said.

“I would also like to thank the Chinese government for always supporting, encouraging both sides to seek ceasefire and actively participating in supporting this special meeting.”

Both countries have blamed the other for the fighting, which started on Thursday after almost two months of escalating rhetoric following a border skirmish on May 28 that left a Cambodian soldier dead.

Thailand has accused Cambodia of breaching the Geneva Conventions by firing heavy artillery at non-military targets, killing civilians, including children.

Cambodia denied the claim and hit back with allegations that Thailand had dropped illegal cluster bombs. Thailand responded that it was not a party to the convention covering cluster munitions.

The dispute, which is multi-generational with roots in colonial-era mapping, centres on the ownership of several ancient temples and strategic sites along ambiguous sections of the 800-kilometre border. It flared between 2008 and 2011 over the Preah Vihear Temple site and surroundings, in clashes that left more than 30 people dead.

Then, as now, the true figures are foggy, but the death toll over the past week appears to have eclipsed the previous fighting.

Between calls to the Cambodian and Thai leaders on Saturday, Trump posted to his Truth Social platform that the US would “not make any Deal, with either Country, if they are fighting – And I have told them so!”

Thailand and Cambodia are both trying to negotiate down from 36 per cent tariff rates before the supposed August 1 deadline.

The ceasefire is also a victory on the world stage for host Anwar.

“This is a vital first step toward a de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security,” he said.

It is a live question whether the ceasefire will hold amid the nationalistic fervour playing out on both sides.

As economic turmoil from US-imposed tariffs looms for Cambodia, Hun Sen and Hun Manet have utilised the tide of patriotism to present themselves as strong defenders of national sovereignty against an “invading” aggressor.

In Thailand, the military establishment is a major force in domestic politics, and maintains an antagonistic relationship with Phumtam’s ruling Pheu Thai Party.

Phumtam heads a weak government, and is serving as the acting prime minister following the court-ordered suspension of Paetongtarn Shinawatra early last month for alleged “ethical” breaches in a leaked and supposedly fawning phone call with Hun Sen, an old family friend.

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