Breakthrough in the border conflict: Thailand and Cambodia agree on ceasefire

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed on a ceasefire in their bloody border conflict. According to the Malaysian President Anwar Ibrahim, the “immediate and unconditional” fire break should come into force at midnight (local time/7:00 p.m. CEST). In addition to the heads of government from Thailand and Cambodia, representatives from the USA and China also took part in the talks in Putrajaya in Malaysia.

In a joint message, it was said that this was an “important first step towards a de -escalation and the restoration of peace and security”.

The military leader of both countries should meet for talks on Tuesday. On August 4, a meeting of the “General Border Committee” is planned, a bilateral body for cooperation in border issues. Both sides also agreed to accept direct communication between their governments again.

Between the two neighboring countries, heavy battles had flared up on their more than 800 kilometers long border on Thursday. The conflict has been smoldering for decades. There are deaths and injuries on both sides, more than 200,000 people are on the run. Heavy battles have been reported again since the night. What exactly the escalation triggered is still unclear.

The meeting between Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s transitional Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai took place in the afternoon (local time). Shortly before the talks, the international pressure on the conflict parties continued to grow. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for “immediate ceasefire” in advance. US President Donald Trump had also personally joined the escalating dispute since the weekend.

Malaysia’s head of government Anwar Ibrahim had spoken to his counterpart from Thailand and Cambodia shortly after the fights began and offered himself as an intermediary. Malaysia is the chair of the Southeast Asian community of Asean this year.

Since the beginning of the battles, both sides have accomplished the violence. Civil buildings, including a hospital and a supermarket, were also hit in the attacks. Among other things, Thailand used fighter jets against military positions, Cambodia shot through the border with rockets.

The dispute continued to pork after a change of shooting between soldiers from both countries at the end of May. A Cambodian soldier was killed.

Most recently, the Cambodian Department of Defense Thailand had accused of using chemical weapons. The Foreign Ministry in Bangkok denied and spoke of “baseless accusations” and “disinformation”, which aimed to specifically undermine Thailand’s prestige in the international community.

Trump called for ceasefire

Trump had already phoned both heads of the government on Saturday and then wrote on the Truth Social platform: “They agreed to meet immediately and quickly work out peace and ultimately peace!” He added that there would be no negotiations regarding his threatened tariffs as long as both states fought. Trump had previously announced that they wanted to prove the two countries with tariffs of 36 percent in early August.

Meanwhile, the number of Cambodians living in Thailand increases, who want to return home with their belongings packed. From the Ministry of Defense in Phnom Penh it was said that more than 400,000 migrant workers had already crossed the border because they no longer felt safe in Thailand. Many more would probably follow.

King says birthday celebrations

Previously, Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn had canceled the official celebrations on the occasion of his 73rd birthday, as the broadcaster Thai PBS reported. The celebrations should last until Tuesday. The decision was made because “the government, the military and all areas of society, given the continuing border conflicts, have to concentrate their efforts to protect national sovereignty, the defense of the country and the security of the population,” it said.