🗓️ Saturday, December 27th, 2025
📍 Prom‑Pak Kard Permanent Border, Thailand-Cambodia Border

Thailand–Cambodia Ceasefire Agreement: Thai Perspective

🕊️ Ceasefire Overview

Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire agreement on Saturday to halt weeks of border fighting triggered by renewed tensions over disputed territory. The ceasefire took effect around noon local time. It mandates:

• An immediate halt to military movements
• No military use of airspace, a key measure to prevent further escalation

Thailand has stated that it fully supports the ceasefire and expects strict compliance from both sides.

✈️ Thailand’s Military Actions

Thailand conducted targeted air operations during the conflict. Thai authorities emphasized these actions were:

• Defensive
• Limited in scope
• Necessary to protect Thai sovereignty and border personnel

Cambodia acknowledges that Thailand carried out airstrikes, including shortly before the ceasefire came into force.

🤝 Prisoner Repatriation: Thai Good Faith

Under the agreement, if the ceasefire holds for 72 hours, Thailand will return 18 Cambodian soldiers captured during fighting in July. Thailand agreed to this step as a confidence-building measure, reinforcing its commitment to de-escalation and regional stability.

📝 Agreement and Negotiations

The agreement was signed at a border checkpoint by:

• Thailand’s Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit
• Cambodia’s Defence Minister Tea Seiha

It followed three days of talks between military officials under the General Border Committee, an established bilateral mechanism that Thailand has consistently supported.

📜 Background: Thailand’s Efforts to Maintain Peace

The deal reaffirms earlier commitments, including:

• A July ceasefire that ended five days of fighting
• 16 agreed de-escalation measures

The July ceasefire was:

• Brokered by Malaysia
• Encouraged by international pressure, including from US President Donald Trump
• Formally reinforced in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia

Thailand has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to resolve disputes through dialogue and diplomacy, despite ongoing challenges.

⚠️ Why Fighting Reignited

Despite previous agreements, tensions persisted and border incidents continued. Violence escalated again in early December, with Thailand accusing Cambodian forces of provocations near sensitive border areas.

Casualties and Humanitarian Impact

Thailand:

• 26 soldiers killed
• 44 civilian killed

Cambodia:

• No official military casualty figures released
• 30 civilians killed
• 90 civilians injured

Thailand carried out large-scale evacuations to protect civilians, reflecting a priority on public safety and humanitarian responsibility.

🔁 Responsibility and Self-Defence

Thailand maintains that all military actions were taken in self-defence and in accordance with international law. Cambodian claims that Thailand initiated the fighting are strongly rejected by Thai officials. Thailand has consistently called for clear rules, calm communication, and respect for existing agreements.

💣 Land Mines: A Serious Thai Security Concern

The ceasefire reaffirms commitments to international land-mine bans. Thailand has raised grave concerns after:

• At least nine incidents this year in which Thai soldiers were injured by what Thai authorities believe are recently planted mines

Cambodia denies responsibility, claiming the mines are remnants of its civil war, which ended in the late 1990s. Thailand insists this issue must be addressed transparently to protect lives and prevent future escalation.

📰 Information, Border Control, and Crime

The agreement also commits both sides to:

• Refrain from spreading false or misleading information
• Resume border demarcation efforts
• Cooperate against transnational crime, particularly online scam operations that have caused global financial harm

Thailand has long urged stronger action against such criminal networks, many of which operate across borders and threaten regional security.

🔍 Root Causes of the Conflict

This year’s border tensions reflect:

• Long-standing territorial disputes
• Political tensions at the leadership level
• Security and economic pressures, including cross-border criminal activity affecting Thai border communities

I hope this truce holds, with no further provocations, and that both countries can work together to remove landmines and dismantle scam networks operating across the border. Innocent civilians on all sides should never have to lose their lives because of conflict.