The Thailand-Cambodia border dispute

[Gaybutton]

there will be no effective government to rein in the army until at least February?

Effective government? Such as government officials getting caught in corruption and tea money scandals? Such as overturning an overwhelming majority Prime Minister election?

[Gaybutton]

Thailand-Cambodia fighting continues after Trump says countries agree to ceasefire

Jonathan Head,South East Asia correspondent and Matt Spivey, BBC

December 13, 2025

Fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces continued early on Saturday hours after US President Donald Trump said the two countries had agreed to a ceasefire.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he told Trump a ceasefire would only be possible after Cambodia had withdrawn all its forces and removed landmines.

He wrote on social media: "Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people. I want to make it clear. Our actions this morning already spoke."

Shelling continued overnight as Thai forces pushed to take a number of vantage points along the border.

At least 21 people have died in the renewed fighting and 700,000 have been evacuated on both sides.

Trump had claimed earlier in the week that he could stop the fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces that broke out on Monday just by picking up the phone.

After speaking to both prime ministers on Friday night he wrote on social media that the two countries had agreed to "cease shooting effective this evening" and go back to the agreement they signed in front of the US president in October.

"Both countries are ready for peace," he wrote.

However, Anutin said he told Trump that Thailand was not the aggressor, and that Cambodia must show that it had withdrawn its forces and removed landmines from the border before a ceasefire was possible. "They must show us first," he said.

There was no mention of the use of tariffs as leverage to force the two sides to disengage, as happened in July.

Thailand has warned the US not to link the conflict to trade.

On Saturday Cambodia reported that it had been struck by more Thai air strikes.

"On December 13, 2025, the Thai military used two F-16 fighter jets to drop seven bombs" on a number of targets, the Cambodian defence ministry said in an X post.

"Thai military aircraft have not stopped bombing yet," it said.

The Thai military also confirmed that fighting continued.

The long-standing border dispute escalated on 24 July, as Cambodia launched a barrage of rockets into Thailand, which responded with air strikes.

Both countries have accused each other of initiating the attacks.

After days of intense fighting which left dozens dead, the neighbouring South East Asian countries agreed to an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire" brokered by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. This was formalised at a ceremony in Malaysia in October presided over by the US president.

However, both sides continued to trade accusations of ceasefire violations, with Thailand publishing evidence of Cambodian troops laying landmines, which have caused seven Thai soldiers to lose limbs. Cambodia says the mines are left over from the civil war in the 1980s.

Since then, tensions continued to build.

This week, Thailand launched air strikes inside Cambodia after two of its soldiers were injured in a skirmish last Sunday. Cambodia has responded with rocket barrages. The fighting affected six provinces in north-eastern Thailand and six provinces in Cambodia's north and north-west.

The two countries have been been contesting their 800km land border for more than a century. The border was drawn by French cartographers in 1907, when France was the colonial ruler in Cambodia.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0kkyx3vvxo

[Dodger]

I applaud Anutin for his comments to Trump, as well as his warning to the U.S. to not connect this conflict with trade.

Trumps comments on social media claiming he could end this conflict with a phone call is about as daft as his claims that if reelected he could end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine during his first week in office.

It's not in the Thais nature to be intimated by anyone, let alone someone they have zero respect for like Trump. Maybe that's the reason why Thailand is the only country in SE Asia to never be colonized by a foreign power.

[Jun]

Maybe that's the reason why Thailand is the only country in SE Asia to never be colonized by a foreign power.

Thailand accepted Japanese occupation during WW2.
Also I suspect avoiding colonization would be partly down to a role as a buffer between two rival European empires.

And in 2025, obviously one country has the upper hand with military hardware. If the generals choose to exploit that, I suspect only US or Chinese interference might stop them. China tried to support Cambodia by invading Vietnam in 1979 and very quickly failed.
Today would be different, but I suspect they make too much from trade with Thailand to interfere.

[Gaybutton]

They can label the goings-on as a dispute, a conflict, or whatever they want, but to me the correct descriptive word is war. In my opinion if they want to have a war, that's their problem, but I hate seeing innocent people, not one of whom have any control over the situation, killed, injured, have their lives and homes disrupted and even destroyed, used as political pawns, etc.

With both sides accusing the other of starting it and escalating it, it is not possible to know where the truth lies. But one thing is true and I doubt many would disagree - this needs to stop.

I believe Thailand and Cambodia would be far better served by being friends and allies rather than enemies. Even if hostilities cease this very minute, what has been accomplished?
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Cambodia postpones release of stranded Thais in Poipet indefinitely

Phnom Penh suspends all border exit and entry movements nationwide after breaking agreement in Poipet

December 13, 2025

Thousands of Thai nationals stranded on the Cambodian side of the border in Poipet remain unable to return to Thailand, after Cambodian authorities indefinitely delayed their release on Saturday, despite earlier assurances that they would be allowed to cross back into Thailand.

Phnom Penh subsequently suspended all entry and exit movements at Cambodia-Thailand border crossings until further notice, with the Interior Ministry citing security concerns arising from ongoing hostilities.

According to local reports, Cambodian authorities had agreed to open the Poipet checkpoint, opposite the Khlong Luek border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo, on Saturday between 1pm and 4pm to facilitate the return of Thais who had been working in the Cambodian casino town.

Upon receiving this information, Thai authorities rapidly mobilised personnel and vehicles, completing preparations in less than 20 minutes, said a source at the scene. Transport included local songthaew trucks, vehicles from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, military buses, and rescue and ambulance units to accommodate sick or vulnerable returnees.

However, at 1pm, Cambodian authorities informed their Thai counterparts that the release would not proceed and that no new timetable had been set. Thai officials promptly withdrew all personnel and vehicles from the area, while police instructed journalists waiting at the checkpoint to leave for safety reasons.

An estimated 3,000 Thais gathered at the Poipet border with their belongings on Thursday, hoping to return amid escalating clashes along the contested frontier. Cambodian soldiers reportedly pushed the stranded Thais back from the immediate vicinity of the checkpoint.

The Thai ambassador in Phnom Penh asked Cambodia’s Interior Ministry to allow Thai nationals to return on humanitarian grounds.

On Saturday afternoon, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen called on the Cambodian government to suspend cross-border travel for both Thai and Cambodian citizens.

Writing on his official Facebook page, the former prime minister cited safety concerns and the need to prevent possible harm to civilians during transit. The Interior Ministry followed up with its official suspension order on Saturday evening.

Thai authorities said earlier that between 6,000 and 7,000 Thai nationals had registered to leave Cambodia since the latest outbreak of fighting began.

Thailand’s Burapha Task Force said it repatriated 7,118 Cambodian nationals on Dec 10 without conditions, stressing that the ongoing conflict was strictly between military forces and that civilians should not be used as leverage.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Cambodia was violating international human rights law by preventing the Thai nationals in Poipet from returning home despite a prior commitment to reopen the border.

Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Thailand had never detained Cambodian nationals who wished to return to their home country. Allowing people to return to their homeland, he added, is a fundamental humanitarian matter.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... definitely

[Dodger]

Thailand accepted Japanese occupation during WW2.

"Occupation" and "Colonization" are two different animals.

During WWII Japan also occupied territories in China , Korea , Taiwan , Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) , and numerous Pacific islands like Guam , Wake Island , Nauru , and parts of New Guinea. Not one of these countries, including Thailand, was ever colonized by Japan.

I give credit where credit is due, and in this case I credit Thailand for its diplomacy in fending off Trump's attempts at manipulation and intimidation. The same type of diplomatic skills were used by Thailand over the centuries to avoid ever being colonized. At least that's what the history books tell us.

By Cambodia stopping thousands of Thais from crossing the border to return home - they are in fact holding them hostage. There's no doubt that this will open a new chapter in this conflict - and it's not going to be pretty.

[Jun]

"Occupation" and "Colonization" are two different animals.

In this instance, the only reason that the occupation was temporary was due to allied forces, mainly US. Nothing to do with Thai resistance.

By Cambodia stopping thousands of Thais from crossing the border to return home - they are in fact holding them hostage. There's no doubt that this will open a new chapter in this conflict - and it's not going to be pretty.

When your neighbour has superior armed forces, an out of control military and will not accept any international arbitration, desperate measures are sometimes needed.

[Dodger]

In this instance, the only reason that the occupation was temporary was due to allied forces, mainly US. Nothing to do with Thai resistance.

I'm sure the Thais who served in the Seri Thai Underground Resistance (Free Thai Movement) during Japan's temporary occupation would be thrilled to hear your comments. They were assisted by U.S. and UK forces as depicted in numerous WWII movies.

If you ever visit the war museum near the River Kwai (Kanchanaburi) you can see photos of Seri Thai fighters who lost their lives during the Japanese occupation.

That my friend is "Resistance".

Back to topic:

This border conflict has been going on for over a century...both sides continue to blame the other...and neither side can be fully trusted when it comes to actual facts.

I remember Thai soldiers having to be called into Kantharalak frequently when I resided there, and it was NEVER for the purpose of attacking Cambodia...it was always a defensive reaction resulting from small arms fire and occasionally missiles being fired into Kantharalak from the Cambodian side of the border. This is one of the reasons why I tend to side with Thailand. There are other reasons.

[Jun]

I remember Thai soldiers having to be called into Kantharalak frequently when I resided there, and it was NEVER for the purpose of attacking Cambodia...it was always a defensive reaction resulting from small arms fire and occasionally missiles being fired into Kantharalak from the Cambodian side of the border. This is one of the reasons why I tend to side with Thailand. There are other reasons.

You may be right, but as an individual, isn't it easier to detect incoming fire, due to the mess it makes ?
I presume you can only detect outgoing fire if you see it from near the launch site?

The Cambodian leadership would have to be barking mad to escalate this, when they have totally inferior armed forces.
Of course, perhaps they really are mad.
Or expecting some swift military support. There is no sign of this.

[Dodger]

The Cambodian leadership would have to be barking mad to escalate this, when they have totally inferior armed forces.

Neither side has any endearing incentive to continue the military conflict, but Cambodia has been hoping to gain enough international pressure, as well as possibly support from the international courts, to force Thailand to the table. Hun Sen also knows full-well that International Trade implications would hurt Thailand much more than Cambodia which is also part of his equation. And yes, he is barking mad.

Thailand clearly prefers direct contact using its much superior military capabilities to hopefully bring Cambodia to its knees and regain control of the disputed border regions once-and-for-all. The Thai people overwhelmingly support the actions being taken by Thailand's military, and Anutin wants to win the next election and remain Thailand's PM.

That's it in a nut shell.