Thailand, Cambodia set urgent border talks amid post-conflict tensions

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Oct 2025 22:47

Thailand and Cambodia are set to hold urgent border talks to strengthen a fragile ceasefire, address recent clashes, and resolve long-standing territorial disputes.

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In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Thai soldiers gather in Prey Chan village, along the disputed border with Thailand, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025 (AKP via AP)

Thailand and Cambodia are preparing an emergency session of their Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) in an effort to prevent a renewed outbreak of violence along their disputed frontier, following one of the bloodiest border flare-ups in over a decade.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikondet Phalangkun announced Sunday that the meeting will prioritize joint demining operations and the construction of fencing along sections of the border where demarcation has already been mutually agreed.

"The Joint Boundary Commission is a bilateral mechanism between Thailand and Cambodia, and its meetings are held regularly. However, this time the situation is taking on particular urgency," Phalangkun told reporters in Bangkok.

Addressing encroachments and demilitarization

Bangkok is expected to raise complaints over what it calls Cambodian encroachments in the Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaew areas, while also outlining plans to reinforce security infrastructure.

"We will inform the Cambodian side about plans to implement security measures, such as the construction of fencing in areas where border markers have already been agreed upon by both sides," Phalangkun said.

The talks will also cover the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the frontier, the creation of coordinated patrol mechanisms, and the expansion of cooperation against cross-border online fraud networks that have flourished amid lax border controls.

"The Thai side once again hopes for Cambodia’s conscientious fulfillment obligations on these issues," the spokesperson added.

Longstanding dispute reignited

The border tension between the two neighbors has deep historical roots. It datesback to colonial-era treaties signed between Siam and French Indochina in the early 1900s, which left stretches of the 817-kilometer frontier poorly defined.

The most sensitive flashpoints lie near ancient temple sites such as Preah Vihear and Ta Muen Thom, where both countries claim sovereignty over surrounding territory. The International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear Temple to Cambodia in 1962, but the adjacent land remains contested to this day.

Recent escalation and fragile ceasefire

The latest hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia erupted on July 24, 2025, after Thai and Cambodian troops traded artillery fire and air-strikes following a series of land-mine explosions and mutual accusations of border incursions.

During the subsequent five-day confrontation, both sides reported dozens of fatalities, including civilians, and mass displacement of residents along the frontier. Experts later determined that some of the mines that triggered the clashes were newly laid, raising suspicions of sabotage.

Under international pressure, including mediation by Malaysia, the two governments reached a cease-fire agreement on July 28, 2025, and moved toward a formal pact to withdraw heavy weapons, reopen border communications, and restore crossings.

US President Donald Trump also intervened diplomatically, holding phone calls with both leaders and urging them to halt the fighting. Trump warned that the United States would suspend trade discussions with either government if the violence continued, a move widely credited with helping push both sides toward the truce. His administration has since supported ASEAN’s regional mediation efforts and is expected to participate in the upcoming summit in Kuala Lumpur.

A further reinforcement of the truce is expected at the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, where leaders, including Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Cambodia’s Hun Manet, will pledge to avoid any recurrence of hostilities.

Looking ahead

The upcoming JBC meeting is expected to serve as a confidence-building measure, consolidating the fragile calm along one of Southeast Asia’s most militarized borders.

Both sides are under pressure to make progress on demining and demarcation to prevent a return to the cycle of confrontation that has periodically strained bilateral ties since the 2008-2011 border crisis.

For Thailand, the talks also offer an opportunity to reaffirm its security role in mainland Southeast Asia; for Cambodia, they are a chance to project stability as it navigates sensitive relations with its larger neighbor.