The governments of Thailand and Cambodia, alongside Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, announced on Monday they had agreed to an immediate ceasefire in an escalating border dispute that displaced over 100,000 people in less than a week.
The prime ministers of both countries met with Anwar in Malaysia to discuss the fastest way to end the conflict. President Donald Trump sent an envoy to the negotiation acting as a “co-organizer,” according to the Malaysia Star, after the president warned in a social media statement on Saturday that he would not sign any trade negotiation with either country if they were in a state of war. President Trump offered a deadline of August 1 to nearly every country that engages in trade with the United States to solidify a new trade agreement with Washington, seeking to abandon old deals that were not favorable to the American people.
Anwar hosted the discussions in his capacity as the current president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which serves as a regional platform for member countries to mediate disputes. The prime ministers of the countries in conflict described their agreement as bringing an immediate end to the bombing on their mutual border and thanked America for its intervention as well as China, which attempted to establish itself as a negotiating party in the matter.
According to the Star, the parties agreed on Monday to begin an unconditional ceasefire on midnight, Tuesday morning, and dramatically increase communication between the military leaderships on the border. The military commanders responsible for their respective borders are scheduled to hold an “informal” meeting on Tuesday morning to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire and prevent a repeat of the disagreements that led to Thailand bombing Cambodia and prompting a violent response.
“Direct communication channels between the Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers and Defence Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand will be re-established immediately,” Anwar, the Malaysian prime minister, detailed. “In addition, the Foreign and Defence Ministers of all three countries have been instructed to jointly develop a detailed implementation, verification, and reporting mechanism.”
ASEAN, he added, would organize a team responsible for ensuring that neither side violates the agreement. Cambodia has agreed to host a meeting of a mutual border group on August 4 to ensure that the parties have respected the ceasefire, the joint statement by the three countries added.
Thailand and Cambodia have disagreed on the terms of their border for over 100 years, the result of the establishment of colonial borders during the era of French rule over Cambodia. The Cambodian government has insisted that the longstanding borders are legitimate, while Thailand – which, contrary to many of its neighbors, has never been formally colonized by a European empire – has consistently claimed that Cambodia was falsely claiming part of its territory.
The current conflict began in May, when Thai and Cambodian soldiers encountered each other in the disputed border area. According to the Cambodian government, the Thai soldiers opened fire and killed one of their troops.
“Thai army first opened fire on a trench that had been a Cambodian army base for a long time, resulting in the loss of one of our soldiers,” the Cambodian Defense Ministry denounced at the time.
The exchange led to small-scale hostilities that mounted over the past two months, escalating into what became an open conflict last week. The Thai government complained that, in response to the military exchange, Cambodia had begun attacking Thai civilians; in their defense, Thailand began bombing Cambodian targets. Phnom Penh complained that the Thai military appeared to be using cluster munitions, which international legal experts almost universally condemn.
Thai military spokesman Major General Winthai Suwaree reportedly admitted on Friday that Thailand had indeed used cluster munitions but insisted this was not a violation of international law as the country had never signed onto the Conventio on Cluster Munitions (CCM), the international legal document that requires signatories to commit not to use them.
The death toll in the conflict as of Monday on both sides has been documented at 33. The conflict presented great potential for significant regional destabilization, however, as terrified civilians fled. Over 150,000 people were displaced by the fighting as of Friday, according to Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. It was not immediately clear on Saturday whether the Thai government would allow them to immediately return to their communities or wait for the ceasefire to take hold for a more extended period.
As recently as Friday, the Thai Foreign Ministry insisted that the two countries did not need third-party mediation. President Trump assumed a role in the conflict on Saturday, stating that he would not sign a trade agreement with either country if they were in a state of war.
“Just spoke to the Prime Minister of Cambodia relative to stopping the War with Thailand. I am calling the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, right now, to likewise request a Ceasefire, and END to the War, which is currently raging,” Trump wrote on his website, Truth Social.
“We happen to be, by coincidence, currently dealing on Trade with both Countries, but do not want to make any Deal, with either Country, if they are fighting — And I have told them so!” Trump emphasized. “I am trying to simplify a complex situation! Many people are being killed in this War, but it very much reminds me of the Conflict between Pakistan and India, which was brought to a successful halt.”
Following his phone conversations with both prime ministers, Trump announced that they had agreed to meet in person and “quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE!”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced “high-level talks” between the two countries on Sunday, asserting Washington’s role in the mediating process.
“Both President Trump and I remain engaged with our respective counterparts for each country and are monitoring the situation very closely. We want this conflict to end as soon as possible,” Rubio said.
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