Thailand, Cambodia sign new ceasefire deal to end border fighting

Thailand, Cambodia sign new ceasefire agreement to end border fighting — Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha, left, stands with Thai Defense Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit, right, at the General Border Committee Meeting in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. Photo: Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP)/via AP

BANGKOK,— Thailand and Cambodia signed a new ceasefire agreement on Saturday aimed at ending weeks of clashes along their disputed border, officials said.

The accord requires both sides to halt military movements and avoid using airspace for military purposes.

Cambodian authorities said Thailand had carried out airstrikes inside Cambodia earlier on Saturday. Cambodia reported that its forces did not engage in air operations during the latest fighting.

The agreement also calls for Thailand to repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers captured in July once the ceasefire has held for 72 hours. Cambodian officials said the release of the detainees was a major condition for the ceasefire.

The deal was signed at a border checkpoint by Cambodia’s Defense Minister Tea Seiha and Thailand’s Defense Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit, following three days of lower-level military talks.

Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to a previous ceasefire that ended five days of fighting in July, as well as subsequent agreements reached at a regional meeting in Malaysia in October.

The original July truce was brokered by Malaysia with support from the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly pressured both countries to accept the agreement by warning that trade privileges could be affected if fighting continued.

Despite the earlier deals, tensions remained high. Both governments engaged in propaganda campaigns while minor clashes continued. Fighting escalated in early December, involving artillery, airstrikes, and ground troops.

Civilian populations have been heavily affected. Thai officials said 26 soldiers and one civilian had been killed since Dec. 7, with an additional 44 civilians killed during the broader conflict.

Cambodia has not released official military casualty figures but reported at least 30 civilian deaths and 90 injuries. Hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border have been evacuated.

Speaking after the signing, Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha said the ceasefire would allow displaced residents to return home, resume farming, reopen businesses, and send children back to school.

Both governments have accused each other of initiating the fighting and described their actions as defensive. The agreement includes specific provisions requiring both sides to comply with international rules prohibiting the use of land mines.

Thailand has reported that soldiers were wounded in at least 10 incidents this year by mines it says were recently planted by Cambodian forces. Cambodia has maintained the mines were remnants from decades of civil war ending in the late 1990s.

Hours after the signing, Thailand’s Foreign Ministry lodged a protest after a soldier was permanently injured by a land mine.

The ministry said the new agreement includes measures for joint humanitarian demining operations to protect both civilians and military personnel in border areas.

The agreement also directs the countries to avoid spreading false information. It calls for renewed efforts to demarcate the border and for cooperation in combating transnational crime, including online fraud networks that have defrauded victims worldwide. Cambodia has been identified as a hub for such operations.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who helped broker the original ceasefire, welcomed the new agreement. He said it reflected a shared understanding that restraint was necessary to protect civilians.

Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said that the safe return of displaced civilians would signal that conditions were stable enough for the release of Cambodian prisoners.

He added that the 72-hour period was designed to test whether Cambodia would halt military actions and provocations, noting that failure would indicate a lack of sincerity in creating lasting peace.

(With files from AP)