Thailand’s military, on Wednesday, accused Cambodian forces – for the second time – of violating a newly brokered ceasefire at three locations along their disputed border, raising tensions just days after both countries agreed to halt hostilities following their deadliest conflict in over a decade.
The Thai army alleged that Cambodian troops opened fire with small arms and grenade launchers in Sisaket province, prompting a retaliatory response. “This was the second incident since the agreement and reflects a behaviour that does not respect agreements, destroys de-escalation efforts and hampers trust between the two countries,” said Thai army spokesman Major-General Winthai Suvaree.
The ceasefire, brokered in Malaysia with support from both Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump, took effect at midnight on Monday. It followed five days of intense fighting that left at least 43 people dead and displaced over 300,000 civilians on both sides of the border.
The truce included a halt to troop movement and aimed to de-escalate tensions. But on Wednesday, Thailand warned that continued violations “could compel Thai forces to respond more decisively.”
Cambodia, however, denied any breach. “Cambodia strongly rejects the ceasefire accusations as false, misleading and harmful to the fragile trust-building process,” said Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chum Sounry. He added that Cambodia remained committed to the ceasefire and supported independent monitoring mechanisms.
The agreement also paved the way for a high-level military meeting between both sides, scheduled for 4 August in Cambodia, involving their defence ministers. While no heavy artillery fire has been reported since the truce, there has also been no confirmation of troop withdrawals.
President Trump, who had earlier warned Thai and Cambodian leaders against renewed hostilities, tied future US tariff negotiations to the success of the ceasefire. Both countries currently face a 36% tariff on exports to the US, their largest trading partner. After the ceasefire was announced, Trump said he had spoken with both leaders and directed US trade officials to begin talks on possible reductions.
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