Thailand and Cambodia agree ceasefire after weeks of deadly border clashes

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to halt weeks of fierce border clashes, the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which has included fighter jet sorties, rocket fire and artillery barrages, on Saturday.

In a joint statement, the countries’ defence ministers said both sides would maintain current troop deployments, with the ceasefire due to take effect at noon local time (0500 GMT).

"Both sides agree to maintain current troop deployments without further movement," the statement said, warning that any reinforcement would heighten tensions and undermine efforts to resolve the dispute.

The agreement, signed by Thai Defence Minister Natthaphon Nakrphanit and Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha, brings to an end around 20 days of fighting that has killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million civilians on both sides of the border.

The ceasefire will be monitored by observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), alongside direct military-to-military coordination, Nakrphanit said.

"At the same time, at the policy level, there will be direct communication between the minister of defence and the chief of the armed forces of both sides," he told reporters.

The latest clashes were reignited in early December after the collapse of a previous truce brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, which had halted an earlier round of fighting.

Thailand and Cambodia have long disputed sovereignty at several undemarcated points along their 817-kilometre land border, with tensions periodically flaring into violence.

Saturday’s agreement also includes provisions for the return of displaced civilians and a pledge by both sides not to use force against civilians.

Thailand said it would release 18 Cambodian soldiers held since July if the ceasefire holds for 72 hours.

The pact does not affect ongoing border demarcation work, leaving disputed areas to be addressed through existing bilateral mechanisms.

Thailand’s air force chief, Prapas Sornjaidee, said the conflict did not reflect relations between the two populations.

"War and clashes don’t make the two countries or the two peoples happy," he said. "I want to stress that the Thai people and the Cambodian people are not in conflict with each other."

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