KUALA LUMPUR — Thailand and Cambodia reached a ceasefire agreement on Saturday, effectively halting weeks of intense border clashes over contested territory. The agreement, which came into force at noon local time, seeks to bring an end to the violence that had escalated following previous ceasefire breaches.
As part of the agreement, both sides have committed to suspending military movements and refraining from violating each other’s airspace for military purposes, the AP reported.
The fighting had seen Thailand’s forces conducting airstrikes, with Cambodia’s defence ministry confirming that strikes were launched as recently as Saturday morning.
A key provision of the agreement requires Thailand to repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers it had detained since July.
Their release, which has been a significant demand from Cambodia, is contingent on a 72-hour period of sustained ceasefire.
The agreement marks a renewed commitment from both countries to the terms of a ceasefire previously brokered by Malaysia in July, following five days of heavy fighting.
At that time, U.S. President Donald Trump had pressured both parties to agree to a ceasefire, threatening to withhold trade privileges unless they did so. This was formalised further during a regional meeting in Malaysia in October, which Trump also attended.
Despite the earlier agreements, tensions had remained high between the two countries, with ongoing propaganda exchanges and sporadic cross-border skirmishes. The situation escalated in early December, leading to widespread fighting once again.
The latest ceasefire was signed in Chanthaburi province during a meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC), held at the Ban Phak Khat permanent border checkpoint in Pong Nam Ron district. The agreement was formalised by Thailand’s Defence Minister Gen Natthaphon Narkphanit and his Cambodian counterpart, Gen Tea Seiha, at 10.15am. Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence later confirmed the agreement.
The ceasefire agreement reiterates the commitment of both sides to peace and security along their shared border.
Gen Natthaphon stated that Cambodia had agreed to all four points discussed at the meeting in Kuala Lumpur in October.
In a related development, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reaffirmed on Friday that Thailand would honour the 72-hour ceasefire but would not entertain talks on returning to pre-clash border positions, asserting that Thailand “cannot retreat” from areas it had secured. His remarks followed a rocket attack by Cambodian forces on Ban Nong Chan in Surin province, which resulted in the deaths of three Thai soldiers and left 17 others injured.
The ceasefire brings an end to 20 days of intense fighting that has claimed at least 101 lives and displaced over half a million people on both sides of the border.
The clashes were reignited after the breakdown of a previous ceasefire agreement that had been negotiated with the assistance of U.S. President Trump to end earlier violence in July. – December 27, 2025