Thailand and Cambodia signed a new ceasefire agreement on December 27, 2025, in a bid to halt weeks of border fighting that has repeatedly tested an earlier truce and displaced people on both sides of the frontier.
The deal, announced after talks between the two countries' defense ministers at a border checkpoint in Chanthaburi Province, calls for both sides to stop military movements and avoid using either country’s airspace for military purposes. It also renews a commitment to an earlier ceasefire framework that had already been battered by propaganda campaigns, minor clashes and heavier fighting in December.
The signing followed three days of lower-level talks between military officials. Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha and Thai Defense Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit signed the document after a fresh round of hostilities that had seen Thai airstrikes hit Cambodian sites as recently as the morning of the agreement, according to Cambodia’s defense ministry.
One of the most sensitive clauses concerns 18 Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand since earlier fighting in July. Under the deal, Thailand is to repatriate the soldiers after the ceasefire has held for 72 hours. Phnom Penh has made their release a major demand.
The text also addresses land mines, a long-running flashpoint in the dispute. Thai soldiers have been wounded in a series of incidents this year that Bangkok says were caused by newly planted Cambodian mines. Cambodia has said the mines were leftover ordnance from its civil war decades ago. The new agreement says both sides should adhere to international anti-mine obligations and cooperate on humanitarian demining operations as soon as possible.
Another clause commits the two governments to refrain from spreading false information or fake news. The pact also calls for a resumption of previous border demarcation measures and cooperation against transnational crime, including online scams that have become a major regional problem.
The ceasefire drew immediate international attention. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the announcement and urged both countries to honor it fully. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the move a positive step toward easing civilian suffering and creating conditions for lasting peace, while praising Malaysia, China and the United States for their efforts to help resolve the conflict. China’s Foreign Ministry also praised the agreement and said Beijing would play a constructive role in helping both sides consolidate the ceasefire.
Even so, the durability of the arrangement remains uncertain. Previous agreements, including a ceasefire brokered in July and later formalized in October, failed to prevent renewed violence. The latest accord may slow the fighting, but it does not resolve the broader territorial dispute that has fueled the conflict for years.
