Thailand Accuses Cambodia of Breaking Cease-Fire

Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an unconditional cease-fire Monday after almost a week of deadly border clashes. But cracks have already started to appear on the first day the truce was meant to be implemented.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai met on Monday in the Malaysian administrative capital of Putrajaya. They shook hands before Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and brokered the cease-fire, which was set to go into effect at midnight that night.

But on Tuesday, the Thai government accused Cambodia of “launching continuous and indiscriminate attacks on Thai territory across various areas along the border” after the cease-fire went into effect. Phumtham said in a statement that Thai forces were “compelled to respond decisively.”

Cambodia denied that such clashes occurred. Maly Socheata, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense, said in a statement Tuesday that Royal Cambodian Armed Forces “have strictly adhered to the orders and agreements under the ceasefire.”

Speaking to reporters, Phumtham clarified: ”What happened at some points is some soldiers might be undisciplined … But we respond proportionately. If they shoot at us with small firearms, we’ll respond with small firearms.”

As regional commanders were due to meet Tuesday to discuss the cease-fire’s implementation, Phumtham said, “at this point, it’s calm.”

How the cease-fire was brokered

The U.S. and China were both involved in the mediation efforts between Cambodia and Thailand. Malaysia’s Anwar thanked President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping for their “constructive support.”

The deal required military commanders from both sides to discuss the details of the deescalation on Tuesday. Cambodia and Thailand’s defense attachés are then due to meet on Aug. 4 for talks led by Anwar.

The Thai Army gave an update on the regional commanders meeting Tuesday afternoon, saying that Cambodian and Thai troops in three areas along the border have agreed to refrain from military movements, with one particular area explicitly prohibiting the use of force or weapons against civilians.

Cambodia and Thailand’s deal was reached under significant pressure from Trump, who said he had talked to Hun Manet and Phumtham separately over the weekend, apparently leveraging trade relations in negotiations. “Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace. They are also looking to get back to the ‘Trading Table’ with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting STOPS,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday. 

After the cease-fire deal was announced, Trump took to Truth Social again, crediting himself. “I am pleased to announce that, after the involvement of President Donald J. Trump, both Countries have reached a CEASEFIRE and PEACE,” he posted Monday, adding that he has saved “thousands of lives” and has “now ended many Wars in just six months.” 

In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Anwar for leading and hosting the cease-fire talks and urged both Cambodia and Thailand to “follow through on their commitments.” 

What to know about the conflict

At least 38 people have reportedly been killed and more than 200 injured in the last week after a decadeslong sovereignty dispute between Cambodia and Thailand reignited earlier this year.

Tensions between the two began to rise in May, when Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged fire along the border, leading to the death of a Cambodian soldier. 

In June, skirmishes along the border flared up once again. In order to try and quell the escalation, former Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra rang Hun Manet’s father, Hun Sen to soothe tensions.

But Hun Sen leaked the phone call, in which Paetongtarn criticized one of her own military commanders, leading to protests and her suspension pending an ethics investigation. Hun Sen’s apparent betrayal of the former Thai Prime Minister’s trust is one of many factors that has only increased tensions between the neighbors in recent months.

Since then, Thailand has hit several targets in Cambodia with the use of an F-16 fighter jet, and artillery and rocket fire has killed dozens in Thailand in response since last Thursday.

Both Hun Manet and Phumtham appear to want all of this to end.

“The key problem for me the last few days is to find solutions to end the fighting as soon as possible to save lives of both the armed forces and civilians living in the fighting zone, from further deaths and injuries,” Hun Manet said in a statement Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, Phumtham said that his country was “ready to further bring discussions to a higher and appropriate level as agreed to prevent further losses to both civilians and military personnel.”