Poipet, Cambodia – Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, aiming to end weeks of intense border fighting that has killed over 100 people, displaced more than half a million civilians, and threatened regional stability in Southeast Asia.
The agreement, signed Saturday by Thai Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit and Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha, took effect at noon local time (05:00 GMT). It halts “all types of weapons” and prohibits “attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas.” The pact formally ends 20 days of artillery duels and infantry skirmishes, marking the most severe hostilities between the two nations in years.
A Fragile Silence on the Border
The guns fell silent as the deadline passed, but the truce was preceded by a final, violent surge. Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig, reporting from the Cambodian border city of Poipet, described a tense atmosphere.
“Right up until the point of that ceasefire being implemented, there was some intense firing going on… really, really intense. Right up until that moment,” Baig reported. “That doesn’t instil a great deal of confidence in people here who want to return home and will be watching to see if this ceasefire will hold.”
The agreement stipulates that both sides will maintain current troop deployments without further movement and refrain from provocative actions or disseminating false information. A critical confidence-building measure includes Thailand’s agreement to return 18 captured Cambodian soldiers 72 hours after the ceasefire is “fully maintained.”
Historical Grievances and a Preah Vihear Flashpoint
The recent clashes are the latest eruption in a long-simmering dispute centred on the area surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple itself to Cambodia in 1962, but the ownership of adjacent territory remains contested, with both nations claiming sovereignty over stretches of the border. This unresolved issue has led to periodic military confrontations, with significant flare-ups occurring in 2008 and 2011.
The current fighting, which began in early February, rapidly escalated, involving heavy artillery and rocket fire that struck villages, markets, and schools on both sides. The massive displacement of civilians—over 500,000 according to estimates—created a humanitarian crisis, with thousands sheltering in makeshift camps.
ASEAN’s Role and the Road Ahead
A notable element of the new agreement is the formal involvement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The bloc will deploy a team of observers to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire, a step Cambodia had urgently requested. Thailand had previously favoured bilateral talks.
The joint statement confirms that ASEAN observers will be on the ground and that both countries have agreed to maintain open communication channels “to resolve any possible issues.” This external monitoring mechanism is seen as crucial for building trust, given the failure of several earlier, verbally agreed truces to hold.
Analysts warn that while the ceasefire is a vital first step, the underlying territorial dispute remains unresolved. The next 72 hours are viewed as critical for the pact’s durability. As Al Jazeera’s Baig noted, the hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians are likely to wait until their safety is assured before attempting to return to their homes, many of which have been damaged or destroyed.
The agreement offers a respite from violence, but a lasting solution will require sustained diplomatic engagement to address the complex historical and nationalistic tensions that fuel this border conflict.
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