In Pursat Province, northwest Cambodia, a bridge was destroyed in a Thai military airstrike, cutting off travel for local residents. Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence stated on Saturday (December 13) that Thai military operations against Cambodia have continued to escalate, including the dispatch of F-16 fighter jets to drop multiple bombs. (AFP)

The United States and Malaysia, the rotating chair of ASEAN, mediated the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict once again. However, Thailand’s caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made it clear that he would not agree to a ceasefire, saying that no negotiations or ceasefire agreements have been reached with Cambodia, and emphasizing that the current time is not right for negotiations.

According to a report by Thairath, Anutin attended the funeral of officers killed in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict on Saturday (December 13). When questioned afterwards, he explicitly rejected the ceasefire proposal put forward by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, which called for both sides to halt military operations at 10:00 p.m. local time (11:00 p.m. Singapore time) on Saturday.

"Local residents along Thailand’s border are still under continuous artillery fire. How can we agree to a ceasefire under such circumstances?" Anutin said.

In a Facebook post on Saturday afternoon, Anwar stated that he had held separate phone talks with Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on the same day, urging both sides to exercise restraint and refrain from any further military actions, including the use of force or the continued advancement of frontline armed forces, starting from 10:00 p.m. local time.

Anwar also said that a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers will be convened next Tuesday (16th) to discuss the current Thailand-Cambodia situation and de-escalation measures.

Subsequently, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia welcomes and accepts Anwar’s ceasefire initiative. Cambodia also welcomes the deployment of an ASEAN observer mission to supervise the ceasefire and the provision of satellite monitoring support by the United States.

As Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of being the first to ignite the conflict, Hun Manet earlier proposed that the United States and Malaysia use their military intelligence capabilities or the resources of relevant agencies, such as satellite imagery, to determine which side fired the first shot.
In a Facebook post earlier on Saturday, Hun Manet said that Cambodia will continue to seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute in accordance with the agreement reached with Thailand last October.

Just hours before that, US President Donald Trump announced that he had brokered a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia once again. After holding phone talks with Anutin and Hun Manet on Friday (12th), Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, stating that the two countries had agreed to a "full ceasefire" starting that night and to resume the implementation of the peace agreement facilitated by the United States and Malaysia several months ago.

However, Anutin posted a denial on Facebook a few hours later, stating that Thailand will continue to take military action "until we believe our land and people are no longer harmed and threatened."

When asked about this at a subsequent press conference, he said that the ceasefire was not discussed during his phone call with Trump, nor was any relevant agreement reached; the conversation was merely a general discussion of the situation.

Thailand’s caretaker Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang emphasized on another occasion that the Thai military will not agree to a ceasefire until Cambodia clearly halts all hostile actions.

Regarding the fact that Trump and Anwar’s renewed mediation efforts seem to have been rebuffed by Thailand, Dr. Sun Tianmei, a scholar of international relations and regional studies and director of the ASEAN Community with a Shared Future Research Centre at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Malaysia, told Lianhe Zaobao in an interview that the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute is a historical issue involving national sovereignty and dignity, which cannot be resolved with a few words from Trump and Anwar.

She said that Trump’s previous move to force a resolution to the dispute by threatening tariffs was a temporary fix rather than a fundamental solution. "Border issues are never easy to resolve... Only when leaders of both sides are willing to exercise restraint and refrain from provocation can the situation calm down."

Thailand has dissolved its parliament and is about to hold a general election, and the situation is expected to become even more difficult to defuse. Generally speaking, as long as a country faces a common enemy, voters will tend to rally behind the incumbent government during elections.

Dr. Sun noted that creating an enemy is the easiest election strategy to win votes. If Thailand engages in peace talks before the election concludes, it will be disadvantageous to the ruling party. "Unless Cambodia is willing to make concessions, the situation will remain unchanged."

"Nevertheless, Thailand will not allow the border conflict to escalate into an all-out war, as any war would harm the country’s economy, especially the tourism industry. Anutin will keep the situation tense, with intermittent ceasefires and conflicts; even if a ceasefire is implemented, he will maintain an atmosphere of tension."
Renewed clashes broke out along the Thailand-Cambodia border this week, leaving more than 20 people dead on both sides and displacing hundreds of thousands of others so far.

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence once again accused the Thai military on Saturday of continuing military operations in multiple border areas, including dispatching two F-16 fighter jets to drop nine bombs on Cambodian territory. The Cambodian government has fully suspended the operation of all border crossings with Thailand effective immediately until further notice, leaving many Thai nationals stranded and unable to evacuate.

For its part, the Thai military claimed that Cambodian forces fired BM-21 rockets at civilian areas in Thailand’s Si Sa Ket province on the morning of the same day, injuring at least four civilians, two of them seriously, and damaging two houses.

In Pursat Province, northwest Cambodia, a bridge was destroyed in a Thai military airstrike, cutting off travel for local residents. Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence stated on Saturday (December 13) that Thai military operations against Cambodia have continued to escalate, including the dispatch of F-16 fighter jets to drop multiple bombs. (AFP)

The United States and Malaysia, the rotating chair of ASEAN, mediated the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict once again. However, Thailand’s caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made it clear that he would not agree to a ceasefire, saying that no negotiations or ceasefire agreements have been reached with Cambodia, and emphasizing that the current time is not right for negotiations.

According to a report by Thairath, Anutin attended the funeral of officers killed in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict on Saturday (December 13). When questioned afterwards, he explicitly rejected the ceasefire proposal put forward by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, which called for both sides to halt military operations at 10:00 p.m. local time (11:00 p.m. Singapore time) on Saturday.

"Local residents along Thailand’s border are still under continuous artillery fire. How can we agree to a ceasefire under such circumstances?" Anutin said.

In a Facebook post on Saturday afternoon, Anwar stated that he had held separate phone talks with Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on the same day, urging both sides to exercise restraint and refrain from any further military actions, including the use of force or the continued advancement of frontline armed forces, starting from 10:00 p.m. local time.

Anwar also said that a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers will be convened next Tuesday (16th) to discuss the current Thailand-Cambodia situation and de-escalation measures.

Subsequently, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia welcomes and accepts Anwar’s ceasefire initiative. Cambodia also welcomes the deployment of an ASEAN observer mission to supervise the ceasefire and the provision of satellite monitoring support by the United States.

As Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of being the first to ignite the conflict, Hun Manet earlier proposed that the United States and Malaysia use their military intelligence capabilities or the resources of relevant agencies, such as satellite imagery, to determine which side fired the first shot.
In a Facebook post earlier on Saturday, Hun Manet said that Cambodia will continue to seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute in accordance with the agreement reached with Thailand last October.

Just hours before that, US President Donald Trump announced that he had brokered a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia once again. After holding phone talks with Anutin and Hun Manet on Friday (12th), Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, stating that the two countries had agreed to a "full ceasefire" starting that night and to resume the implementation of the peace agreement facilitated by the United States and Malaysia several months ago.

However, Anutin posted a denial on Facebook a few hours later, stating that Thailand will continue to take military action "until we believe our land and people are no longer harmed and threatened."

When asked about this at a subsequent press conference, he said that the ceasefire was not discussed during his phone call with Trump, nor was any relevant agreement reached; the conversation was merely a general discussion of the situation.

Thailand’s caretaker Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang emphasized on another occasion that the Thai military will not agree to a ceasefire until Cambodia clearly halts all hostile actions.

Regarding the fact that Trump and Anwar’s renewed mediation efforts seem to have been rebuffed by Thailand, Dr. Sun Tianmei, a scholar of international relations and regional studies and director of the ASEAN Community with a Shared Future Research Centre at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Malaysia, told Lianhe Zaobao in an interview that the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute is a historical issue involving national sovereignty and dignity, which cannot be resolved with a few words from Trump and Anwar.

She said that Trump’s previous move to force a resolution to the dispute by threatening tariffs was a temporary fix rather than a fundamental solution. "Border issues are never easy to resolve... Only when leaders of both sides are willing to exercise restraint and refrain from provocation can the situation calm down."

Thailand has dissolved its parliament and is about to hold a general election, and the situation is expected to become even more difficult to defuse. Generally speaking, as long as a country faces a common enemy, voters will tend to rally behind the incumbent government during elections.

Dr. Sun noted that creating an enemy is the easiest election strategy to win votes. If Thailand engages in peace talks before the election concludes, it will be disadvantageous to the ruling party. "Unless Cambodia is willing to make concessions, the situation will remain unchanged."

"Nevertheless, Thailand will not allow the border conflict to escalate into an all-out war, as any war would harm the country’s economy, especially the tourism industry. Anutin will keep the situation tense, with intermittent ceasefires and conflicts; even if a ceasefire is implemented, he will maintain an atmosphere of tension."
Renewed clashes broke out along the Thailand-Cambodia border this week, leaving more than 20 people dead on both sides and displacing hundreds of thousands of others so far.

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence once again accused the Thai military on Saturday of continuing military operations in multiple border areas, including dispatching two F-16 fighter jets to drop nine bombs on Cambodian territory. The Cambodian government has fully suspended the operation of all border crossings with Thailand effective immediately until further notice, leaving many Thai nationals stranded and unable to evacuate.

For its part, the Thai military claimed that Cambodian forces fired BM-21 rockets at civilian areas in Thailand’s Si Sa Ket province on the morning of the same day, injuring at least four civilians, two of them seriously, and damaging two houses.