Phnom Penh, December 14, 2025
Gunfire and shelling were reported along parts of the Cambodia–Thailand border early Sunday, even as regional and international leaders pressed for an immediate ceasefire to halt the most serious fighting between the two neighbours in years.
Updates carried by Cambodian outlet Fresh News said several frontline areas in Pursat, Banteay Meanchey and Oddar Meanchey provinces fell quiet late Saturday night, with exchanges easing after about 10:30 p.m. local time. The calm, however, did not hold everywhere.
Fresh News reported that firing resumed near Phnom Moch Mountain in Preah Vihear province in the early hours of December 14. Around 3:00 a.m., Thai forces were said to have opened fire toward Cambodian positions, drawing a response from Cambodian troops. By about 4:40 a.m., most other contested zones were again described as silent, though tensions remained high.
The overnight developments followed several days of heavy clashes involving artillery, rockets, drones and air strikes, forcing thousands of civilians to flee border villages and causing damage to homes, farmland and places of worship on both sides.
Cambodia has said it agreed to a ceasefire proposal advanced by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is acting in his capacity as ASEAN Chair. The proposal calls for an immediate halt to fighting and a return to talks under regional and international mediation.
Prime Minister Hun Manet welcomed the Malaysian initiative and reiterated Cambodia’s position that the dispute should be settled through dialogue rather than force. Cambodian officials have said they are prepared to observe a ceasefire and support mechanisms to verify compliance on the ground.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had spoken separately with the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand and announced that a ceasefire had been reached.
Fighting nevertheless continued after that announcement. CNN International reported that Thailand’s leadership had vowed to keep up military operations along the disputed border, with Thai fighter jets striking targets hours after Trump’s statement.
Cambodian authorities voiced concern that hostilities persisted despite calls for restraint and urged all sides to respect ceasefire efforts, warning of further risks to civilians if the violence continues.
Diplomats in the region say the situation underscores the difficulty of enforcing ceasefires without agreed monitoring. Malaysia has floated the idea of ASEAN involvement, including observer arrangements, to help ensure any truce is respected.
As of Sunday morning, no joint monitoring mechanism had been deployed and security conditions along the border remained unstable.
The latest violence follows the breakdown of a ceasefire agreed in late October 2025. The Cambodia–Thailand border dispute is rooted in long-running disagreements over territory and historic boundary lines, with each side accusing the other of repeated violations since fighting resumed earlier this month.
