Thailand-Cambodia Roar Back Into Deadly Conflict; Trump Says He Will ‘Make A Call’ As Both Sides Point Fingers

Often considered peace loving countries, Thailand and Cambodia have been in the headlines this year for all the wrong reasons. Both the Asian nations got into an ugly conflict a few months back in July 2025, which was later resolved after a US-brokered ceasefire, or so it seemed.

However, a fragile ceasefire pushed by US President Donald Trump in July 2025 has disintegrated, plunging Thailand and Cambodia back into one of Southeast Asia’s most volatile border conflicts. The truce, brokered with Malaysian mediation, had halted five brutal days of fighting that left dozens dead and over 100,000 civilians displaced.

But a skirmish on Sunday (December 7, 2025) that injured two Thai soldiers shattered the uneasy calm, igniting a fresh wave of heavy combat stretching into Tuesday (December 9, 2025). Both sides accuse each other of firing first, and the ceasefire mechanisms promised in Kuala Lumpur were never implemented.

Thailand-Cambodia conflict: What sparked the latest eruption of violence?

Fighting resumed when Thai and Cambodian troops clashed along their contested frontier, a region long fraught with tensions over temples, territory and centuries-old rivalries.

Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen, still widely regarded as his country’s ultimate power despite stepping down as prime minister in 2023, has accused Thailand of repeated provocations. In statements posted on Facebook and Telegram, he said Cambodia had held back initially but ultimately “was forced to fight back to defend its territory.”

Thailand, however, said its forces came under Cambodian artillery, rocket and drone fire from Sunday through Tuesday, prompting retaliatory airstrikes along the border. Rear Adm. Surasant Kongsiri insisted these operations were purely defensive and vowed they would continue “until attacks stop.”

Are either Thailand or Cambodia seeking negotiations?

The answer, for now, is no. Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul said Cambodia had made no contact to pursue talks, adding, “We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do”, he declared on Tuesday, stressing that military operations would continue as planned to protect Thai sovereignty.

Hun Sen, meanwhile, has publicly framed the fighting as unavoidable, insisting Cambodia does not want war but is ready to retaliate fiercely.

As both the sides continue to engage, Cambodia has pulled out of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games. The decision comes just as Thailand begins hosting more than 13,000 athletes for the 2025 edition of the Games, which opened on December 9 in Bangkok and Chonburi province.

Human costs of the renewed Thailand-Cambodia conflict

The violence has triggered a massive humanitarian crisis on both sides of the border. Thailand has evacuated 125,838 civilians, setting up nearly 500 shelters across four provinces. In Surin, more than 3,600 distressed evacuees have taken refuge on university grounds – sleeping on thin mats, queuing for food and clinging to updates.

“I was scared. Who wouldn’t be scared of shelling?” asked cassava farmer Pan-ngam Kanchangthong, expressing the shock that swept through border communities.

Cambodia, too, is reeling. Nearly 55,000 people have been displaced, according to Information Minister Neth Pheaktra. Many fled with barely any belongings.

“I felt terrified when I heard the sound of the explosion,” news agency AP quoted garment worker Vach Neang, a father of seven, who fled from Banteay Meanchey province with only a few clothes, as saying.

Casualty reports continue to rise with Cambodia saying seven civilians are dead and 20 wounded, while Thailand has confirmed three soldiers killed.

Ancient temples once again flashpoints in the dispute?

The contested border hosts a number of prized historical temples, igniting deep emotions and national pride on both sides. Cambodia accused Thai forces of damaging the Ta Krabey temple during Tuesday’s strikes, calling it “a reprehensible act” and an assault on cultural heritage.

Thailand countered that Cambodian rockets were fired into Surin province near the same 11th-century structure.

What is Trump’s stance on the renewed Thailand-Cambodia fight?

At a political rally in Pennsylvania late Tuesday, Trump claimed he would personally intervene once more. “Tomorrow I’ll have to make a phone call,” he said. “Who else could say, ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia?’”

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged both sides to honour the commitments made under the Malaysia-brokered ceasefire, including removing heavy weapons and jointly clearing land mines.

Meanwhile, the roots behind the conflict are deep and historical. Thailand and Cambodia share over 800 kilometres of disputed borderland, shaped by centuries of rivalry between once-mighty regional empires. Tensions have simmered for years over accusations of new land mines.

Thailand claims Cambodian-laid explosives maimed its soldiers; Cambodia says leftover mines from civil war era are to blame. Thailand continues to hold 18 Cambodian prisoners captured on the day the July ceasefire took effect, insisting they posed a threat. Cambodia calls their detention illegal and provocative.