Following mediation attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump, Thailand and Cambodia suggested on Sunday that they are willing to negotiate a resolution to a deadly border dispute that has killed at least 34 people and displaced over 168,000 others. The dispute is currently in its fourth day.
On Saturday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had discussed with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia that if the fighting persisted, he would not pursue trade agreements with either nation. Later, he said that both parties had decided to meet and discuss a truce.
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Hun Manet, the prime minister of Cambodia, announced on Sunday that his nation has decided to seek an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. He claimed that after speaking with Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Trump informed him that Thailand had likewise decided to stop attacks.
According to a statement from Hun Manet, this is good news for both the soldiers and the citizens of both nations.
He said that in order to carry out the ceasefire, he assigned his deputy, Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, to work directly with Thailand’s foreign minister and coordinate the following steps with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Thailand offered cautious assistance. According to the Thai Foreign Ministry, Phumtham thanked Trump and stated that while Thailand agreed in principle to a ceasefire, it emphasized the necessity of Cambodia’s true purpose. According to the statement, Phumtam demanded prompt bilateral discussions to go over specific measures for a peaceful settlement.
After five Thai soldiers were injured, the first flared on Thursday. Both sides accused one another of inciting the conflicts. Thailand and both nations stopped their border crossings with Cambodia.
Parts of the disputed border saw gunfire on Sunday despite diplomatic attempts, with both sides refusing to back down and exchanging blame over army moves and fresh firing.
Cambodian forces launched heavy artillery into Surin province, including at civilian residences early on Sunday, according to Thai army deputy spokeswoman Col. Richa Suksowanont. He said that in an effort to retake territory that Thai troops had seized, Cambodia also started rocket assaults against the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple, which is claimed by both nations, as well as other locations. Thai forces hit Cambodian rocket launchers and artillery with long-range fire in retaliation.
Trump’s attempts to mediate, according to Richa, are a different issue. He stated that a truce can only be achieved if Cambodia formally starts talks and that battlefield operations will continue.
As long as Cambodia is consistently breaking the fundamentals of humanitarian law and human rights and is seriously lacking in good faith, no cease-fire can be achieved,” Thailand’s Foreign Ministry stated separately.
Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata, a spokesman for the Cambodian Defense Ministry, charged Thai forces with intensifying the conflict by bombarding Cambodian territory early on Sunday and then launching a “large-scale incursion” that involved tanks and ground soldiers in several locations.
According to her, such acts reveal Thailand’s blatant intention to intensify rather than defuse the issue and undercut all attempts at a peaceful conclusion.
Thailand announced a further soldier’s death on Sunday, increasing the number of deaths to 21, the majority of whom were civilians. 13 people have been killed, according to Cambodia. Over 37,000 people have fled from three provinces in Cambodia, while over 131,000 people have been evacuated to safe areas in Thailand. With many schools and hospitals closed, many border settlements are largely abandoned.
In order to safeguard his family, Thai air conditioning technician Pichayut Surasit had to leave his job in Bangkok due to the unexpected fighting and return home.
When I heard the news, I lacked the courage to carry on with my task. He told me that although I wanted to return right away, I would have to wait until the evening. Pichayut, who is currently at a shelter in Surin that is housing some 6,000 evacuees, is concerned about his wife and twin girls and hopes that the fighting will end quickly so they can go back to their home in the Kap Choeng district, which has been particularly heavily struck by shelling.
Local vendor Bualee Chanduang, who relocated to the same shelter on Thursday together with her family and pet rabbit, is hoping that quick talks will put an end to the violence. “I pray to God that we can come to an agreement and put an end to this war,” she added.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional organization, has been urged by the U.N. Security Council to mediate a settlement between the two members. Human Rights Watch has called on both governments to safeguard civilians and denounced the reported use of cluster munitions, which are prohibited by international law, in populated areas.
Although the 800-kilometer (500-mile) border between Thailand and Cambodia has been contested for many years, previous conflicts have been small-scale and short. A Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash in May, which sparked the most recent tensions and caused a diplomatic gap.
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This report was written by Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur and Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok for the Associated Press. Reporting from Samrong, Cambodia, was Sopheng Cheang.
