Truce takes effect in Cambodia, Thailand border dispute

The deal to end five days of deadly fighting came at a meeting hosted by Malaysia and amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stands with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai as they shake hands at a press conference regarding a ceasefire for Thailand–Cambodia border conflict, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, July 28, 2025. (Mohd Rasfan/via Reuters)

Published on:

29 Jul 2025, 6:30 pm

BANGKOK, Thailand – A ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia came into effect early Tuesday, aimed to end five days of fierce fighting in a disputed border area that has killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 200,000 others.

The truce was scheduled to start at midnight local time. A source told RFA that fierce gunfights heard near the Ta Muan Thom and Ta Kwai temples stopped at midnight. An Agence France-Presse reporter in the Cambodian city of Samraong, which sits 20 kilometers from the border, said the steady stream of artillery strikes heard all day Monday stopped in the 30 minutes leading to midnight.

The ceasefire deal came after negotiations on Monday hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the current chair of the ASEAN regional bloc. There was pressure for a deal from outside the region: U.S. President Donald Trump warned over the weekend that the border conflict could stall U.S. trade deals with both countries.

As part of the ceasefire, Cambodian and Thai military commanders will kick off talks on Tuesday to reduce tensions. The deal also sets an Aug. 4 meeting for the General Border Committee hosted by Cambodia and requires the foreign and defense ministers of Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia to develop mechanisms to implement and monitor the truce.

Local villagers wait to receive supplies donated by a charity in Srey Snam district, Siem Reap province, Cambodia, July 28, 2025, amid the fighting between Thailand and Cambodia. (Heng Sinith/AP)

At a press conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Vejjayachai of Thailand shook hands and hailed the outcome.

“Today we have a very good meeting and very good results … that hope to stop immediately the fighting that has caused many lives lost, injuries, and also caused the displacement of people,” said Hun Manet, who offered thanks to Trump and China, which had also urged an end to hostilities and offered its assistance.

Phumtham said the deal would be “carried out successfully in good faith by both sides.”

Thailand has said nine of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed. Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths, according to Agence France-Presse.

Thai residents who fled homes following the clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers react at an evacuation center in Surin province, Thailand, July 28, 2025 after hearing there will be a ceasefire. (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

Images from makeshift evacuation centers on both sides of the border showed crowds of displaced residents queueing for food and sleeping in tents or temporary shelters.

Long-simmering tensions between the two countries over their shared border spiked after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a disputed area on May 28. Weeks of accusations and political jousting followed, culminating in Thailand expelling the Cambodian ambassador and recalling its own envoy on July 23, then armed clashes erupting on July 24. [RFA/VP]