BANGKOK — Thailand rejected a Thailand Cambodia ceasefire claim touted by U.S. President Donald Trump Saturday, saying its military will keep up operations along the disputed border with Cambodia as airstrikes and artillery fire rattled communities on both sides. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand will continue “military actions” until threats to its land and people end, while Malaysia said it would convene a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers soon to push the sides back toward talks, Dec. 13, 2025.
Thailand Cambodia ceasefire in doubt as fighting spreads along the border
Trump said late Friday that Bangkok and Phnom Penh had agreed to “cease all shooting” and return to an earlier peace accord. Hours later, Thailand’s leader publicly dismissed that assertion. In comments highlighted by Reuters, Anutin said there was no ceasefire and pointed to continued fighting into Saturday, including Thai fighter jets striking what the military described as Cambodian targets.
Thailand and Cambodia have traded heavy weapons fire at multiple points along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) border since Monday, in some of the fiercest fighting in years. Official tallies from the two governments put the death toll at at least 20, with more than 260 injured and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Both sides say the other side fired first. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said his government still seeks a peaceful resolution under the October agreement brokered in Malaysia, and asked the United States and Malaysia to help verify who initiated the latest clashes. The Thailand Cambodia ceasefire dispute now hinges on whether both militaries actually stand down — and whether any third-party verification is accepted.
Regional coverage from Channel News Asia described the renewed combat as a stress test for that earlier truce — and for the diplomacy that produced it.
Malaysia steps in as Thailand Cambodia ceasefire messaging fractures
Malaysia, which holds the rotating ASEAN chair, says it is moving quickly. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Kuala Lumpur will convene a Special Meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers “in the near future” to assess the situation and support measures to ease tensions, according to Malay Mail.
Meanwhile, the on-the-ground reality continues to clash with Washington’s messaging. The Associated Press reported that Thailand’s Foreign Ministry disputed Trump’s ceasefire claim, while Cambodia’s defense ministry said Thai strikes continued early Saturday — assertions that could not be independently verified.
Why the Thailand Cambodia ceasefire keeps unraveling
The immediate trigger for the latest escalation has been a familiar mix of mutual accusations, land mine fears and contested terrain near historic sites. But the deeper fault line runs through decades of nationalist politics and a border that has never fully stopped biting.
Earlier ceasefires have collapsed just as quickly. France24 reported in 2011 that a truce was swiftly marred by deadly clashes near disputed temple zones, forcing evacuations and prompting international calls for restraint.
And when the dispute moved to international law, tempers did not cool for long. In 2013, the U.N.’s top court backed Cambodia’s sovereignty claims around the Preah Vihear temple area — a decision that sparked fresh political heat in Thailand and was chronicled in The Guardian.
Now diplomats face a narrow window to reimpose a Thailand Cambodia ceasefire that is real on the ground, not just online — and to keep it from unraveling again with the next blast, barrage or border patrol.
