Despite Trump Ceasefire Claim, Thailand-Cambodia Fighting Continues
On Saturday, Thailand’s Caretaker Prime Minister vowed to continue fighting Cambodia along their border, despite Trump’s statement Friday announcing a ceasefire between the two countries. Heavy clashes continued into Saturday, with the Thai Prime Minister saying they would “continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people”. Let’s explore how this current conflict started, and the regional history that led to it.
In July 2025, a landmine exploded near the disputed Thailand-Cambodia border, injuring three Thai soldiers. Soon after, heavy exchanges of artillery and gunfire broke out, with both governments accusing the other of firing first. These clashes rapidly escalated into airstrikes and rocket fire. Thousands of citizens were displaced, and fighting continued until a ceasefire deal was brokered by President Trump in October. However, the deal failed to resolve the fundamental border disputes, resulting in continued clashes. On November 10, Thai troops were once again injured after stepping on a landmine near the border. Thailand blamed Cambodia for the incident and used the event to justify suspending implementation of Trump’s peace agreement.
Fighting renewed in early December after both sides claimed the other had launched attacks. Fighting rapidly escalated once again to airstrikes and rocket fire, killing dozens of people, including civilians. On Friday, Trump announced a ceasefire between the two sides, saying “They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord.” Thailand’s Prime Minister responded Saturday by rejecting the idea of an agreement being reached, telling reporters that talks would be a necessary prerequisite to any ceasefire deal.
So how did we get here? As I mentioned, the border between Thailand and Cambodia is disputed by both countries. The border dispute began in the late 1800s when France drew borders between the two nations as a result of treaties. The new borders gave Cambodia several key areas, which Thailand objected to. During the Cold War tensions cooled, but the border remained poorly marked and littered with landmines. In 2008, Cambodia sought and received UNESCO World Heritage status for Preah Vihear, a temple within the border region. Thailand opposed this, saying Cambodia was claiming sovereignty over disputed land. Armed clashes broke out between 2008 and 2011. In 2013, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared the land around the temple belonged to Cambodia, and Thailand withdrew from the area. However, the ruling didn’t settle the overall border dispute, just one specific zone.
To this day the border remains vague and disputed, and peace likely won’t be reached until both sides agree on official border lines.
