Fighting along the Thailand–Cambodia border intensified over the weekend, forcing Thai authorities to impose a night-time curfew in coastal districts of Trat province, even as former US President Donald Trump claimed that both sides had agreed to a ceasefire.
The curfew, announced late Sunday, covers five border districts adjoining Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, marking a significant expansion of security restrictions from inland conflict zones to Thailand’s southeastern coastline. Popular tourist islands, including Koh Chang and Koh Kood, remain exempt.
Despite diplomatic claims of de-escalation, artillery exchanges and small-arms fire continued along multiple points of the 817-kilometre border, underscoring the fragility of any truce.
Clashes Persist After May Flashpoint
The current escalation traces back to May 2025, when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a confrontation in a disputed border area. That incident reignited long-standing territorial tensions, triggering retaliatory shelling, troop deployments, and the displacement of thousands of civilians on both sides.
Thai Defence Ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri confirmed that hostilities have continued since Saturday.
“Despite Cambodia’s renewed statements about a ceasefire, its forces remain active at several strategic points,” he said, adding that Thailand remains open to dialogue only if hostilities cease unconditionally.
Cambodian officials, meanwhile, have accused Thailand of escalating the conflict through targeted strikes.
Thai Military Claims Supply Route Hit
On Saturday, the Thai army announced it had destroyed a key Cambodian supply bridge used to transport heavy weapons and ammunition into contested areas. Thai forces also reported strikes on artillery positions inside Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, describing them as pre-positioned military sites.
Phnom Penh rejected these claims, accusing Thai forces of striking civilian infrastructure and residential zones, causing damage to homes and public facilities. Cambodian authorities have called for international intervention and an independent investigation into the alleged attacks.
Trump’s Ceasefire Claim Faces Immediate Pushback
The renewed fighting has cast doubt on US mediation efforts led by Donald Trump, who said on Friday that he had secured a ceasefire agreement after speaking separately with Thailand’s caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
However, within hours, Anutin publicly contradicted the claim.
“Thailand will continue defensive operations until there is no threat to our land or our people,” he said, signaling that no formal ceasefire had taken effect.
A White House spokesperson later stated that Trump “expects all parties to honor their commitments” and warned that continued violence would carry consequences, though no further details were provided.
Humanitarian Impact and Security Lockdown
Reuters reporters and local officials confirmed sustained artillery fire across multiple border sectors since Monday, marking one of the most severe flare-ups since midyear.
Several border villages have been evacuated, with hundreds of families relocated to temporary shelters. Thai naval patrols have been intensified along the Trat–Koh Kong coastline, while large stretches of the border have been declared restricted security zones.
The Thai Defence Ministry said its forces remain on high alert and are prepared for “necessary counteraction,” even as Cambodia presses for international mediation.
Regional Stability at Risk
Security analysts warn that the conflict highlights the vulnerability of Southeast Asia’s regional stability, particularly as both countries face internal political pressures and rising nationalist sentiment ahead of elections.
While Bangkok maintains that diplomacy remains its preferred path, Phnom Penh’s appeal for global intervention suggests a widening diplomatic rift. On the ground, however, there are few indications that a durable ceasefire is imminent.
What was briefly presented as a diplomatic breakthrough now appears to have unravelled, leaving the Thailand–Cambodia border once again a volatile flashpoint in mainland Southeast Asia.
