Thailand accused Cambodia of violating a 10-day-old truce on Tuesday (January 6, 2026), saying cross-border mortar fire wounded a soldier, while Phnom Penh said a “pile of garbage” exploded, injuring two of its own troops.

Bangkok’s Foreign Ministry said Thai forces “did not retaliate”, opting instead to contact the Cambodian side to verify what happened, adding that Phnom Penh “claimed it was an accident”.

The Thai Ministry also urged Cambodia to “prevent such incidents from recurring” and issue an apology, according to a statement.

A decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian nations erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing around one million on both sides.

The two countries agreed to a fragile truce on December 27, ending three weeks of clashes.

Cambodia “violated the ceasefire” on Tuesday (January 6) morning, the Thai Army said in a statement, accusing Cambodian forces of firing mortar rounds into Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.

One Thai soldier was hospitalised due to non-life-threatening shrapnel wounds to his right arm, the army said.

The Thai Army said in a separate statement that the Cambodian side had contacted a Thai military unit and claimed, “there was no intention to fire into Thai territory”.

“The incident was caused by an operational error by Cambodian personnel,” it added.

Thailand’s military also said it warned Cambodian forces that if a similar incident occurred, Thai forces may need to retaliate.

Cambodia’s Defence Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said two Cambodian soldiers were injured, one severely, on Tuesday (January 6) morning when “an explosion occurred from a pile of garbage”.

The incident happened while Cambodian forces were performing “organisation and orderliness” duties in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, which sits opposite Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani, she said in a statement.

The two injured soldiers were hospitalised.

Ms. Socheata did not mention the strike alleged by Thailand but said both nations’ border coordination teams had consulted on the incident involving the Cambodian soldiers and addressed the matter.

The explosion occurred in a frontier region known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, she said.

In May, a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight with Thai troops in the area, reigniting the border conflict.

‘An accident’

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his government had lodged a protest with Phnom Penh, stating “the truce was violated”.

“At the military-to-military level, we have been told the incident was an accident, but we are seeking clarification on how responsibility will be taken,” Mr. Anutin told reporters in Bangkok.

He added that Thailand had the “capability to respond” to Cambodia, which is vastly outgunned by its neighbour.

The nations’ long-standing conflict stems from a dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-km (500-mile) border, where both sides claim territory and centuries-old temple ruins.

Under the December truce, Cambodia and Thailand pledged to cease fire, freeze troop movements and cooperate on demining efforts along their border.

The United States, China and Malaysia had brokered a truce to end the fighting between Cambodia and Thailand in July, but that ceasefire was short-lived.

Disputed border

On Saturday (January 3), one week after the December truce went into effect, Cambodia called on Thailand to pull out its forces from several border areas Phnom Penh claims as its own.

The Thai military has rejected claims it had used force to seize Cambodia territory, insisting its forces were present in areas that had always belonged to Thailand.

While the two nations agreed late last month to stop fighting, they still need to resolve the demarcation of their disputed border.

Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday (January 6) that Phnom Penh had proposed a bilateral border committee meeting with Thai counterparts to be held in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province this month.

Bangkok has said previously that meetings to discuss border surveying and demarcation may need to be held by Thailand’s next government, following elections scheduled for February 8.

Published – January 06, 2026 07:30 pm IST

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi shaking hands with Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, who is also the country’s Foreign Minister, during a meeting in China’s Yunnan province.
| Photo Credit: AFP

People wait to receive supplies at Wat Por Sovannaram refugee camp, amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Ou Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey Province, Cambodia, December 13, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

People wait to receive supplies at Wat Por Sovannaram refugee camp, amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Ou Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey Province, Cambodia. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

President Donald Trump said on Friday (December 12, 2025) that Thailand and Cambodian leaders have agreed to renew a truce after days of deadly clashes had threatened to undo a ceasefire the US administration had helped broker earlier this year.

Mr. Trump announced the agreement to restart the ceasefire in a social media posting following calls with Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

“They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim,” Mr. Trump said in his Truth Social posting.

Thailand and Cambodian officials offered no immediate comment following Mr. Trump’s announcement. Anutin, after speaking with Trump but before the US president’s social media posting, said he reiterated to Trump that Thailand’s position was to keep fighting until Cambodia no longer poses a threat to its sovereignty.

Mr. Trump, a Republican, said that Ibrahim played an important role in helping him push Thailand and Cambodia to once again agree to stop fighting.

“It is my Honor to work with Anutin and Hun in resolving what could have evolved into a major War between two otherwise wonderful and prosperous Countries!” Mr. Trump added.

The original ceasefire in July was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalised in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.

Despite the deal, the two countries carried on a bitter propaganda war and minor cross-border violence continued.

The roots of the Thai-Cambodian border conflict lie in a history of enmity over competing territorial claims. These claims largely stem from a 1907 map created while Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand maintains is inaccurate. Tensions were exacerbated by a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that awarded sovereignty to Cambodia, which still riles many Thais.

Thailand has deployed jet fighters to carry out airstrikes on what it says are military targets. Cambodia has deployed BM-21 rocket launchers with a range of 30-40 kilometres.

According to data collected by public broadcaster ThaiPBS, at least six of the Thai soldiers who were killed were hit by rocket shrapnel.

The Thai army’s northeastern regional command said Thursday that some residential areas and homes near the border were damaged by BM-21 rocket launchers from Cambodian forces.

The Thai army also said it destroyed a tall crane atop a hill held by Cambodia where the centuries-old Preah Vihear temple is located, because it allegedly held electronic and optical devices used for military command and control purposes.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly made the exaggerated claim that he has helped solve eight conflicts, including the one between Thailand and Cambodia, since returning to office in January, as evidence of his negotiating prowess. And he is not been shy about his desire to be recognised with a Nobel Peace Prize.

In an exchange with reporters later on Friday (December 12, 2025), Mr. Trump credited his administration with doing a “a very good job” with its push to stem the renewed fighting.

“And we got it, I think, straightened out today,” Trump said as he hosted members of the 1980 US men’s hockey team in the Oval Office. “So Thailand and Cambodia is in good shape.”

Another ceasefire that Mr. Trump takes credit for working out, between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, is also under strain, just after the leaders of the African nations travelled to Washington to sign a peace deal.

A joint statement released by the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes expressed “profound concern” over the situation in Congo’s South Kivu region, where new deadly violence blamed on the Rwandan-backed M23 militia group has exploded in recent days.

The Great Lakes contact group — which includes Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and the European Union — has urged all sides “to uphold their commitments” under the deal signed last week and “immediately de-escalate the situation.” And Trump’s internationally endorsed plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is still not finalised and in limbo, with sporadic fighting continuing while a critical second phase remains a work in progress.

Published – December 13, 2025 07:13 am IST

Cambodia’s powerful Senate President Hun Sen on Tuesday (December 9, 2025) vowed that his country would carry out a fierce fight against Thailand as a second day of widespread renewed combat between the Southeast Asian neighbours drove tens of thousands of people to flee border areas.

Fighting broke out following a skirmish in which one Thai soldier was killed on Sunday (December 7, 2025) night, despite a ceasefire that ended fighting in July over competing territorial claims. The five days of fighting then left dozens dead on both sides, and forced the evacuation of over 1,00,000 civilians.

Both sides vow to keep fighting

In a sign that neither side was willing to back down, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Tuesday (December 9, 2025) that Cambodia had not yet contacted Thailand about possible negotiations and the fighting would continue.

“We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do,” Mr. Charnvirakul said. “The Government will support all kinds of military operations as planned earlier.” He had said on Monday (December 8, 2025) that military action was necessary to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and ensure public safety.

In a statement posted to Facebook and Telegram, Mr. Hun Sen claimed that his country had refrained from retaliating on Monday (December 8, 2025), but overnight began to fire back at Thai forces, saying Cambodia would “weaken and destroy enemy forces through counterattacks.” Thailand’s military said Cambodia attacked Thai positions with artillery, rocket and drone attacks on Tuesday (December 9, 2025). Thailand says that Cambodian forces also fired at its troops on December 7 and 8, but each side blames the other for firing the first shots.

“Cambodia wants peace, but Cambodia is forced to fight back to defend its territory,” Mr. Hun Sen wrote. He was Cambodia’s long-serving prime minister until 2023, when he was succeeded by his son Hun Manet, but is still widely seen as the country’s de facto leader.

Cambodia’s military announced on Tuesday (December 9, 2025) that the new fighting had killed seven civilians and wounded 20. A Thai military spokesperson announced on Tuesday (December 9) that three soldiers have been killed in the new fighting.

Thailand on Monday (December 8, 2025) carried out airstrikes along the frontier, which it said were a defensive action targeting military installations. Thai military spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri said on Tuesday (December 9) that such operations would continue “until attacks stop”.

Villagers on both sides flee to safety

Ordinary citizens, meanwhile, had to deal with life after being relocated from the danger zones. An evacuation shelter at a university in Thailand’s northeastern city of Surin is hosting more than 3,600 people. Evacuees sit or lie on thin mats spread across the floor, and several have set up small tents in their allotted areas as sleeping spaces.

At lunchtime, some line up with their own plates to receive cooked rice, while others wait in place to be served ready-to-eat meals packed in small plastic bags. An Army band plays for their entertainment.

Portable fans cool them during the day. Blankets, in piles beside them, keep them warm at night, when temperatures can fall to as low as 18°C.

“We were preparing to evacuate. We hadn’t left yet. But when we heard shots, we hurried out immediately,” cassava farmer Pan-ngam Kanchangthong told The Associated Press. “I was scared. Who wouldn’t be scared of shelling?” The Thai army said almost 500 temporary shelters have been set up in four border Provinces, accommodating 125,838 people. Additional refugees from the fighting are expected to stay with relatives in safe areas.

Evacuees on the Cambodian side had similar experiences

“I felt terrified when I heard the sound of the explosion from the shelling. At that time, I was working at the garment factory,” said 44-year-old Vach Neang, a father of seven.

“I called my wife and my kids but couldn’t reach them, and by that time the sound of explosions was getting louder, so the factory owner let us go home,” said Mr. Vach Neang, speaking at a former market in Cambodia’s northwestern Province of Banteay Meanchey that has been repurposed as a shelter. He added that he packed just a few clothes before leaving his home.

Cambodian Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said almost 55,000 people have been evacuated, and the numbers are mounting.

The two nations have a history of ill will

Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity over centuries and experience periodic tensions along their land border of more than 800 kilometres. Centuries ago, both were powerful empires, but Thailand’s size and greater development over the past century give it the military advantage.

Some of the disputed territory hosts centuries-old temples that both nations covet as part of their legacy. The ceasefire that ended July’s fighting was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges from the two nations unless they agreed to it.

A more detailed agreement signed in October called for removing heavy weapons from the border; desisting from disseminating false information and harmful rhetoric; implementing measures to restore mutual trust; and coordinating operations to remove land mines.

None of these actions appears to have been fully implemented by either side. After the ceasefire, both nations continued to fight a bitter propaganda war using disinformation, alongside minor outbreaks of cross-border violence.

Prisoners and land mines have been sticky issues

A major Cambodian complaint has been that Thailand continues to hold 18 prisoners who were taken captive the same day the ceasefire went into effect. Thailand claims they approached their positions in a threatening manner, an allegation denied by Phnom Penh.

Meanwhile, Thailand accuses Cambodia of laying new land mines in the areas under dispute, in several cases maiming Thai soldiers. Cambodia says the mines are left over from decades of civil war that ended in 1999.

The mines issue caused Thailand to declare earlier this month that it was indefinitely pausing implementation of the details of the ceasefire until Cambodia apologised for the latest incident wounding Thai soldiers.

Published – December 09, 2025 04:03 pm IST

In this photo released by Royal Thai Army, two Thai soldiers injured by a landmine during a patrol near the Thai-Cambodia border are treated as they are to be transferred to a hospital in Sisaket province, Thailand, on November 10, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP