After weeks of conflict and attacks, Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire

2025-12-27 08:53:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, the defense ministers of the two countries said in a joint statement yesterday.

Both sides have agreed to halt all troop movements and allow civilians living in border areas to return home, ending weeks of fierce border clashes that have killed at least 41 people and displaced almost a million people.

The ceasefire took effect at noon local time. After lasting for 72 hours, 18 Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand will be released, the statement said.

This progress came after Thai and Cambodian officials held several days of talks aimed at ending renewed fighting between the two countries.

The joint statement outlines the terms of "de-escalation," which includes a cessation of attacks on civilians, civilian facilities and infrastructure, as well as military targets of each side.

"Both sides should avoid firing or unprovoked advances or movements of troops towards the positions or troops of the other side," the statement said.

The statement also said the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand would be carried out in the spirit of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, an agreement between the two countries signed at a ceremony attended by US President Donald Trump in October.

That ceasefire agreement was violated earlier this month, when fresh fighting broke out. Since then, both sides have blamed each other for the ceasefire breach. The Thai military said its troops responded to Cambodian fire in Thailand's Si Sa Ket province, in which two Thai soldiers were wounded.

Cambodia's defense ministry said Thai forces had attacked first, in Preah Vihear province, and insisted Cambodia did not retaliate. The fighting has continued throughout December. On Friday, Thailand carried out airstrikes in a disputed border region in Cambodia.

The Thai Air Force said it had struck a fortified Cambodian military position after civilians had fled the area. Cambodia's Defense Ministry said the strikes were indiscriminate attacks on civilian homes.

Border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia date back more than a century, but tensions escalated in May of this year when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash. Two months later, in July, there were five days of fierce fighting along the border, which left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead. Thousands more civilians were displaced.

After an intervention by Malaysia and US President Donald Trump, a fragile ceasefire was negotiated between the two nations, which was signed in late October.

Trump called the deal the "Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords." It mandated both sides to withdraw their heavy weapons from the disputed region and set up a team of temporary observers to monitor it. However, the deal was terminated by Thailand in November, with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announcing that the security threat "had not really decreased." /CNA