Thailand and Cambodia 2nd Ceasefire Agreement!
Bangkok, Dec 27 (EFE).-
Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire agreement on Saturday with immediate effect on the common border, where the military clashes that broke out on Dec. 7 have left some 100 dead and nearly 700,000 displaced.
“Both sides agree to an immediate ceasefire after the time of signature of this Joint Statement with effect from 12:00 hours noon (local time) on 27 December 2025, involving all types of weapons, including attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas,” said the joint statement signed by the two countries’ defense ministers.
Both armies pledged to avoid provocations such as the deployment of troops in neighboring areas that have been the scene of the long-standing territorial dispute, as well as to guarantee the safe return of those displaced.
In this regard, they agreed to at least address, through bilateral mechanisms, the contentious demarcation in bordering areas, an issue for which Cambodia has gone to international bodies, which has displeased Thailand.
The military also agreed to work together to clear anti-personnel mines, which Bangkok has accused Phnom Penh of planting and which have caused injuries, some of them fatal, to several soldiers in the past two months.
Among other things, the two Asian nations pledged not to increase the number of troops along the border, not spread false or biased information about the conflict and to jointly fight human trafficking and digital scams at the border.
The declaration was signed by General Tea Seiha and Nattaphon Narkphanit, Defense Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand, respectively, and sets out the role of emissaries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as ceasefire observers.
At a press conference, Thailand’s defense ministry spokesperson confirmed that 18 Cambodian soldiers detained in June – during five days of border clashes that left some 50 dead – would be released when hostility ceases, in accordance with international norms and practices.
As of Friday, according to official accounts, at least 43 civilians and 24 military personnel had been killed in Thailand, while 31 civilians were reported dead in Cambodia, which does not report casualties in the military sector even though numerous reports speak of dozens of soldiers dead. EFE
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