Thailand’s defence minister is set to join ongoing truce talks with Cambodia on Saturday, raising cautious hopes of de-escalation as deadly border clashes between the two neighbours stretch into a third week. The announcement came from Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who said high-level engagement could help revive a stalled peace process.
He explained that if Thailand’s defence minister reaches an understanding with his Cambodian counterpart, both sides could formalise an agreement based on an earlier pact brokered after clashes in July. That previous deal, supported by Donald Trump during his presidency, briefly reduced hostilities before violence flared again.
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Meanwhile, Thai and Cambodian officials have been holding continuous talks at a border crossing since Wednesday as fighting persisted along contested areas. The ceasefire collapsed in early December, leaving at least 98 people dead on both sides and forcing more than half a million residents to flee their homes.
Efforts to halt the violence have so far failed, despite mediation attempts by regional and international figures, including Malaysia’s prime minister as ASEAN chair. In addition, China has stepped in diplomatically, with its special envoy holding separate discussions in Bangkok and Phnom Penh to urge restraint.
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Thailand and Cambodia have blamed each other for violating the July truce, later expanded in October to stabilise the situation. The two countries have long disputed parts of their 817-kilometre border, and the latest clashes have spread from forested inland zones near Laos to sensitive coastal provinces.