A ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia is in effect along the border, following nearly three weeks of deadly clashes that have forced nearly a million people to flee their homes.
In a joint statement, the defense ministers of the two countries agreed to freeze current front lines, ban reinforcements, and allow the early return of civilians living in border areas.
The ceasefire went into effect at noon (05:00 GMT) on Saturday. The statement said that once the device is in place for 72 hours, 18 Cambodian soldiers who have been detained in Thailand since July will be released.
The breakthrough came after several days of talks between the two countries, with diplomatic encouragement from China and the United States.
The agreement prioritizes returning displaced people to their homes and also includes agreements on landmine removal.
Thai Defense Minister Nataporn Narkpanit described the ceasefire as a test of “the sincerity of the other side.”
“If the ceasefire is not realized or violated, Thailand retains the legitimate right of self-defense under international law,” he told reporters.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said the ceasefire would “pave the way” for peace, while an EU spokesman called for “good faith” in its implementation.
Thailand was reluctant to accept the ceasefire, saying the last ceasefire had not been properly implemented. They also resented Cambodia’s efforts to internationalize the conflict.
Unlike the ceasefire last July, US President Donald Trump was conspicuously absent from this ceasefire, despite the participation of the US State Department.
A ceasefire agreement collapsed earlier this month as new clashes broke out. Both sides blamed each other for the breakdown of the ceasefire.
The Thai military said two Thai soldiers were injured in response to a Cambodian fire that broke out in Thailand’s Sisaket province.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense claimed that it was the Thai military that attacked the Preah Vihear area first and that Cambodia would not retaliate.
Clashes continued throughout December. On Friday, Thailand carried out additional airstrikes inside Cambodia.
Thailand’s air force said it had struck a “fortified military position” in Cambodia after civilians had left the area. Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said the airstrike was an “indiscriminate attack” on civilian homes.
How well this ceasefire works will largely depend on political will. Nationalist sentiment was inflamed in both countries.
Cambodia in particular lost many soldiers and much military equipment. They were driven out of their positions on the border and suffered extensive damage from Thai air strikes, making lasting peace more difficult.
Differences of opinion over borders date back more than 100 years. But tensions rose earlier this year when Cambodian women sang patriotic songs at a disputed temple.
Last May, a Cambodian soldier was killed in clashes, and two months later in July, fierce fighting broke out along the border for five days, killing dozens of soldiers and civilians. Thousands of civilians became refugees.
After intervention by Malaysia and President Trump, a fragile ceasefire agreement was negotiated between the two countries and signed in late October.
President Trump called this agreement the “Kuala Lumpur Peace Agreement.” It obliges both sides to withdraw heavy weapons from conflict areas and establish temporary observation teams to monitor them.
But Thailand suspended the agreement last November after Thai soldiers were injured by landmines, and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Chanvirakul announced that security threats had “not actually decreased”.
