Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire after weeks of deadly clashes

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

Both sides agreed to freeze the front lines where they currently are and allow civilians living in border areas to return home, arresting nearly three weeks of intense clashes during which hundreds of soldiers are said to have died and nearly a million people have been displaced.

The ceasefire came into effect at noon local time (0500 GMT) on Saturday. After 72 hours of implementation, 18 Cambodian soldiers detained by Thailand since July will be released, the press release said.

This breakthrough came after days of negotiations between the two countries, with diplomatic encouragement from China and the United States.

The agreement prioritizes the return of displaced people to their homes and also includes an agreement on the removal of landmines.

Thai Defense Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit described the ceasefire as a test of “the sincerity of the other side.”

“If the ceasefire fails to materialize or is violated, Thailand retains its legitimate right of self-defense under international law,” he told reporters.

Thailand has been reluctant to accept the ceasefire, believing that it was not properly implemented. They were also unhappy with what they saw as Cambodia’s efforts to internationalize the conflict.

Unlike the last ceasefire in July, US President Donald Trump was conspicuously absent from this one, although the US State Department was involved.

This ceasefire agreement has collapsed earlier this monthwhen new clashes broke out.

Both sides blame each other for the breakdown of the truce.

The Thai military said its troops responded to Cambodian gunfire in Thailand’s Si Sa Ket province, in which two Thai soldiers were injured.

Cambodia’s defense ministry said it was Thai forces who attacked first, in Preah Vihear province, and insisted Cambodia did not retaliate.

Clashes continued throughout December. Friday, Thailand carries out more airstrikes in Cambodia.

The Thai air force said it struck a Cambodian “fortified military position” after civilians left the area. Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes constituted “indiscriminate attacks” on civilian homes.

Whether the ceasefire holds this time depends to a large extent on political will. Nationalist sentiment was inflamed in both countries.

Cambodia, in particular, lost many soldiers and much of its military equipment. It has been pushed back from positions it occupied on the border and suffered significant damage from Thai airstrikes, grievances that could make lasting peace more difficult.

Disagreement over the border dates back more than a century, but tensions rose earlier this year after a group of Cambodian women sang patriotic songs at a disputed temple.

A Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash in May, and two months later, in July, five days of intense fighting took place along the border, which left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead. Thousands more civilians have been displaced.

Following the intervention of Malaysia and President Trump, a fragile ceasefire was negotiated between the two countries and signed at the end of October.

Trump dubbed this agreement the “Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords.” He asked both sides to withdraw their heavy weapons from the disputed region and set up an interim observer team to monitor it.

However, the agreement was suspended by Thailand in November after Thai soldiers were injured by landmines, with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announcing that the security threat had “actually not diminished”.