Updates: Thailand, Cambodia officials to meet amid border clashes

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Find out more about the latest clashes that have erupted between Thailand and Cambodia as well as the ASEAN meeting here.

Read more about why Thailand insists on action from Cambodia first to achieve a lasting ceasefire here.

• After an ASEAN summit, Thailand’s foreign minister tells reporters that a bilateral meeting will take place with Cambodia on Wednesday.
• Thailand has insisted on action from Cambodia to eliminate the threat posed by antipersonnel landmines.
• Cambodia’s Defence Ministry reports more than 40 artillery attacks by Thai forces on Battambang province early this afternoon, indicating that the strikes took place as leaders were gathered in Kuala Lumpur to discuss potential steps towards peace.
• Earlier in the day, the Cambodian ministry had also accused Thailand of deploying F-16 jets to drop four bombs and using “toxic gas” in a village.
• Thai media report an “exchange of fire” in Sa Kaeo province and “heavy weapons” fire from Cambodian forces in the Khok Sung district.
• Cambodia’s Interior Ministry says a Chinese national has been injured by Thai shelling.
• The US says both countries must cease hostilities while China says its mediation efforts will continue with the aim of resolving the border dispute through dialogue.

Thailand’s sudden return to the use of force along its frontier with Cambodia is a blunt reminder of how volatile one of Southeast Asia’s most enduring territorial disputes remains.

The pace of the latest escalation is startling. Just weeks ago, leaders from both countries stood before regional and international dignitaries at the ASEAN summit, endorsing a ceasefire framework that was presented as a political breakthrough.

The symbolism was heavy, a truce blessed by regional leaders and witnessed by Trump meant to signal that Southeast Asia could manage its own tensions responsibly.

Read more of this opinion piece here.

As Thailand has pressed the issue of antipersonnel landmines, Cambodia has emphasised concern over the humanitarian situation during the Kuala Lumpur meeting.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, who is also the chief diplomat of his country, told ASEAN Secretary-General Kim Hourn that Phnom Penh is worried over “the worsening humanitarian situation affecting nearly half a million displaced Cambodians”.

He also expressed a commitment to promoting shared peace and security in the region, according to the state-run Agence Kampuchea Presse.

Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with H.E. Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on the sidelines of the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the current… pic.twitter.com/u8JKJ6SdSq

— ASEAN (@ASEAN) December 22, 2025

ASEAN has released a statement after the foreign ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

It urges Thailand and Cambodia to “exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps towards the cessation of all forms of hostilities”.

The joint statement also calls on both countries to “restore mutual trust and confidence, and to return to dialogue”.

ASEAN members have also reiterated their concerns over the ongoing conflict and “called upon both parties to ensure that civilians residing in the affected border areas are able to return, without obstruction and in safety and dignity, to their homes”.

China has been mediating and urging peace between Cambodia and Thailand and will continue to promote reconciliation and dialogue, its foreign ministry has said.

Spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters that China, which has sent an envoy to the region, will disclose more information about the envoy’s efforts in due course.

Special envoy Deng Xijun was in Phnom Penh last week to push for the de-escalation of border clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours.

A key part of the ceasefire in October was a pledge from both sides to start removing landmines from along their border.

This has proved to be a sensitive issue, particularly for Thailand.

In November, Bangkok suspended the implementation of the truce after four Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion.

Thailand said the landmines were newly laid, which Cambodia denied. It said the mines were remnants of past conflicts.

Thailand’s foreign minister disputes that assessment. Speaking on Monday, he said: “These were clearly newly planted landmines, and this was confirmed by the ASEAN observer team.”

On Sunday, the Thai navy said one of its marines on the front line sustained serious injuries to his right leg from stepping on a landmine.

Cambodia’s Interior Ministry says a Chinese national has been injured by Thai military shelling today.

In a statement, the ministry said Thai forces fired “artillery shells into civilian areas” of Cambodia’s border province of Battambang.

This resulted in “one civilian house being completely destroyed and one Chinese national being injured”, the ministry added.

The recent clashes have killed 53 civilians on both sides.

Cambodia’s Interior Ministry said 19 Cambodian civilians have been killed and 79 injured. It added that 510,000 people have been displaced.

Thailand’s Defence Ministry said 34 Thai civilians have been killed.

Thailand’s Joint Press Center for the Thailand-Cambodian Border Situation said that as of Thursday, 21 Thai soldiers had been killed in battle.

Here’s a look at the latest developments:

• Thailand’s foreign minister says a meeting with Cambodia will take place on Wednesday during which the two countries could work on their issues and move towards a lasting ceasefire.
• The US calls on both nations to halt hostilities while China says it is mediating and hopes for de-escalation through dialogue.
• Countries that are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have dedicated their meeting in Kuala Lumpur to pushing the two sides towards finding a solution. Malaysia’s prime minister has emphasised “dialogue, wisdom and mutual respect”.
• Cambodia’s Defence Ministry has accused Thailand of deploying F-16 jets to drop four bombs and using “toxic gas” in a village.
• Thai media report an “exchange of fire” in Sa Kaeo province and “heavy weapons” fire from Cambodian forces that has ignited fires and damaged homes in the Khok Sung district.

Thailand’s National Security Council Secretary-General Chatchai Bangchuad has acknowledged international efforts at the ASEAN meeting in Kuala Lumpur but insisted “the process should be bilateral between Thailand and Cambodia”.

As we’ve been reporting, the ASEAN meeting in Malaysia is focused on the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia and preserving peace in the bloc.

• February 13: Cambodian soldiers escorted 25 civilians to the Prasat Ta Moan Thom Temple in Thailand near the border, where they reportedly sang their national anthem. Thai military officials stated that they stopped the tourists from singing because it violated mutual agreements regarding tourist protocols.
• February 17: The Thai army sent a warning letter to the Cambodian military, accusing it of “inappropriate behaviour” and instructing it not to repeat the incident.
• May 28: Both sides clashed in the disputed border area of the Emerald Triangle, killing one Cambodian soldier.
• June 12: The PM announced that Cambodia would stop relying on Thai electricity and internet infrastructure due to “threats”. Cambodian TV stations stopped broadcasting Thai movies, and Cambodia also blocked imports of fuel, fruits and vegetables from Thailand.
• June 14: Officials from both countries met for talks, but no concrete agreement was reached.
• June 15: The Thai PM held a call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen and discussed the tensions.
• June 26: Thailand ordered operators to stop providing broadband and mobile internet connections to Cambodia.
• July 1: The Thai PM was suspended after the phone call with Hun Sen, in which he appeared to criticise the Thai military’s actions, was leaked.
• December 8: The Thai military launched air attacks along the disputed border as the Southeast Asian neighbours traded blame for clashes that killed one Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians.