Bangkok, Thailand: Military leaders from Thailand and Cambodia met on Tuesday to agree on details of a ceasefire, brokered amid pressure from the U.S., that halted five days of deadly skirmishes along their disputed border. Regional military commanders along the 800-kilometer border agreed to halt gunfire, refrain from moving troops, and establish direct bilateral communications, according to a Thai army spokesman and a spokesperson from the Cambodian defense ministry.
According to Radio Free Asia, Thailand's Phumtham and Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia appeared together on Monday to announce the ceasefire, brokered with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the annual chair of the ASEAN regional bloc. The announcement came amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said that continued fighting could stall negotiations for a trade deal with the U.S. Both countries face a 36% tariff on their goods unless a reduction can be negotiated. After the deal was announced, Trump said he had spoken with both leaders and instructed his team to restart talks.
At least 43 people were killed, and around 300,000 were displaced during the fighting, which included jets, rockets, and artillery. Some locals, like Cambodian Soklang Slay, expressed wariness as they returned to their homes on Tuesday. "I am very concerned that new fighting may break out. Thailand often provokes the fighting first, but then accuses Cambodia. Their aim is that they want to occupy our temples [along the border]. I really don't want to see any new fighting happen," he told the Associated Press.
Supalak Ganjanakhundee, an author and former editor of the Nation newspaper in Bangkok, who lives in his hometown in Kantharalak district, Sisaket province, was among those displaced. He had to evacuate, losing his cattle and his chance to harvest ripe durian fruit. "The recent border skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia was senseless and served no real benefit to either nation. It did, however, serve the interests of the Thai military and Cambodia's ruling family," he told RFA, referring to the spat between Hun Manet and suspended Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Politically, the conflict has placed the government of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the brink of collapse. The failure of coherent diplomacy has opened the door to external interventions—most notably by the United States and China—complicating an already volatile situation. To resolve their issues long-term, he said both countries must accept the presence of international observers to monitor and verify the truce's implementation. At the same time, they must reactivate dormant bilateral mechanisms to address critical issues of border security and the long-overdue boundary demarcation.