Thailand and Cambodia agreed to Ceasefire Mediated by Malaysia

Leaders from Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to an unconditional ceasefire, ending five days of violent border conflict in which more than 30 people were killed. Both sides blame each other for starting the violence. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirms about this ceasefire.

After five days of intense and deadly fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border, a ceasefire agreement has been reached, brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Both Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to an immediate and unconditional halt to hostilities, marking a crucial step toward restoring peace and security in the region. The conflict displaced over 200,000 people and resulted in dozens of deaths.

At evacuation shelters, Thai and Cambodian civilians expressed relief and hope that the violence is truly over. Many evacuees, like Thai vendor Usa Dasri and Cambodian farmer Chhuot Nhav, shared their longing to return home and resume normal life. While the ceasefire brings optimism, families on both sides remain cautiously hopeful that the fragile truce will hold.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Thailand’s border province of Surin, said the ceasefire announcement was welcome news for many people, especially those who live along the border and have been displaced by the violence, which broke out into open conflict on Thursday after weeks of tensions and some clashes. “There are so many people who have been affected by this, and they just want to go home so badly,” he said.

Cheng reported that fighting continued shortly before the talks opened in Malaysia. “We’ve been hearing incoming and outgoing artillery fire even after the talks began,” he said, adding that “a large military build-up” was under way in Thailand.

Thai army spokesperson Colonel Richa Suksuwanon told reporters on Monday that fighting had erupted along the border, and The Associated Press news agency reported gunfire could be heard at dawn in Samrong in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.

On Sunday, Thailand said one person was killed and another injured by a Cambodian rocket fired at Sisaket province. Thailand’s military also reported that Cambodian snipers were camping in one of the contested temples on the shared border and accused Phnom Penh of surging soldiers along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets.

Cambodian Ministry of National Defence spokeswoman Maly Socheata on Monday accused Thailand of deploying “a lot of troops” and firing “heavy weapons” into Cambodian territory. Maly Socheata said that before dawn on Monday, the Thai military targeted areas near the ancient Ta Muen Thom and Ta Kwai temples, which Cambodia claims are its territory but are disputed by Thailand.

She also accused the Thai military of firing smoke bombs from aircraft over Cambodian territory and heavy weapons at its soldiers, adding that Cambodian troops “were able to successfully repel the attacks”.