By Reuters and published by Yahoo!News
Kuala Lumpur – Defence officials from Thailand and Cambodia will meet on Wednesday Dec. 24 to discuss the possibility of resuming a ceasefire between the two countries, Thailand’s top diplomat said on Monday (Dec. 22), as border fighting entered a third week.
The decision was taken on Monday during a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur of Southeast Asian foreign ministers, who were seeking to salvage a truce first brokered by Asean chair Malaysia and US President Donald Trump after a previous round of clashes in July.
The two countries agreed to hold talks using their General Border Committee, an established bilateral mechanism, with Thailand proposing that it takes place at the border line in the Thai province of Chanthaburi, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told a briefing in Kuala Lumpur.
Cambodia’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sihasak said Thailand wanted a “true ceasefire” with a firm commitment from Cambodia and a detailed implementation plan, adding that de-mining was necessary to move the process forward.
“A ceasefire cannot just be declared, it needs a discussion,” he said.
Fierce fighting
The meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations followed two weeks of fierce fighting that killed at least 80 people and initially displaced more than half a million.
The regional peace push comes as the US and China pursue separate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, with no signs of success so far.
Sihasak said neither the United States nor China were involved in the decision for the two countries to resume discussions later this week, adding it was about Thailand and Cambodia “working things out”.
Bangkok and Phnom Penh each accuse the other of aggression and moves that led to the breakdown of an enhanced ceasefire agreed in October in Malaysia in Trump’s presence, during which they committed to demining and withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons.
Heavy exchanges of fire have occurred in multiple locations along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, from forested inland areas near Laos to coastal provinces. Clashes flared again on Monday, with both sides trading accusations of aggression.
‘We must intensify trust-building’
Monday’s gathering was the first face-to-face meeting involving the two governments since the fighting resumed on Dec. 8. In opening the meeting, Malaysia’s foreign minister urged the bloc to play a more forceful role in halting the conflict.
“Asean must do whatever is necessary to maintain regional peace and stability,” Mohamad Hasan said.
“Our goal goes beyond de-escalating the tension. We must intensify trust-building among the conflicting parties and provide the horizons for dialogue despite the prevailing differences.”
Cambodia’s defence ministry on Monday said Thailand had violated its sovereignty with more “armed aggression” and vowed to defend what it said was its territory “at any cost”.
Thailand accused Cambodia of seeking to fire rockets on a border town and said another soldier had lost a leg to a landmine. Thailand has accused Cambodia of laying new mines in violation of its international treaty commitments, an allegation Phnom Penh has rejected.
CAPTIONS:
Top – Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow. Photo – Reuters/Hasnoor Hussain and published PPTVHD36
Front Page – Members of a Thai Explosive Ordnance Disposal team inspect the site of a rocket attack during clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Kantharalak district of Sisaket province, Thailand on Dec. 15, 2025. Photo: AP/Sakchai Lalit and published by CNA
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Additional reporting by Ashley Tang and Mandy Leong in Kuala Lumpur and Chayut Setboonsarng and Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok; Editing by David Stanway, William Mallard, Martin Petty and Saad Sayeed)
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