Thailand and Cambodia to hold December 24 defence talks as border fighting enters third week

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to hold a December 24 meeting of defence officials aimed at reviving a months-old ceasefire, as fierce border fighting entered a third week with at least 80 people killed, Reuters reported on Tuesday (December 22, 2025).

The decision was taken on Monday at a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur, convened to salvage a truce first brokered by ASEAN chair Malaysia and US President Donald Trump after a previous round of deadly clashes in July.

Reuters said the two countries have exchanged rockets and artillery daily along their 817-kilometre land border since the ceasefire collapsed, with fighting flaring at multiple points from forested areas near Laos to coastal provinces on the Gulf of Thailand.

ASEAN’s 11 foreign ministers urged both sides to show maximum restraint and take immediate steps to halt the fighting, while welcoming the planned meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC), a long-established mechanism for bilateral talks.

“The ASEAN foreign ministers expressed hope for de-escalation of hostilities as soon as possible,” Malaysia, as ASEAN chair, said in a statement, adding that discussions would include ceasefire implementation and verification, according to Reuters.

Trump, speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, again described the Thailand-Cambodia conflict as one of the eight wars he claimed to have stopped, Reuters reported. He added: “Thailand is starting to shape up. You know, they started with Cambodia, they started up again. But I think … we have that in pretty good shape…”

Reuters said the agreement to hold talks is the most significant step since the fighting resumed, after both Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Trump had been unable to bring the two sides to the table this time, despite calls with their leaders.

Five days into the conflict, Trump said the premiers of Thailand and Cambodia had both agreed to “cease all shooting”, Reuters reported, but clashes continued the next day, with Bangkok launching more air strikes and vowing to keep fighting.

China has also urged both sides to step back, with its special envoy for Asian affairs Deng Xijun holding talks in Bangkok and Phnom Penh in recent days, Reuters said.

Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow was quoted by Reuters as saying Thailand wanted a “true ceasefire” backed by a detailed implementation plan and a firm commitment from Cambodia. He said neither the United States nor China had been involved in the decision on bilateral talks, describing it as Thailand and Cambodia “working things out”.

“A ceasefire cannot just be declared, it needs a discussion,” Sihasak told a briefing in Kuala Lumpur, Reuters reported. “The Cambodians want a ceasefire, let’s have a discussion on a ceasefire. We proposed that our two militaries should meet as soon as possible.”

The meeting venue was not immediately clear. However, Sihasak said Thailand had proposed the borderline in Chanthaburi province, Reuters reported. Cambodia’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.