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Thailand and Cambodia to hold talks on deadly border conflict in Malaysia
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 27, 2025
4 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 27, 2025
4 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Thailand and Cambodia will meet in Malaysia to discuss their deadly border conflict, aiming for a ceasefire amid rising tensions and casualties.
By Shoon Naing, Chantha Lach and Artorn Pookasook
SISAKET, Thailand/PHNOM PENH (Reuters) -The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia will attend mediation talks over their deadly border conflict in Malaysia on Monday, the Thai government said, even as both sides accused each other of launching fresh artillery strikes across contested areas.
Talks are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Monday, with acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai leading the Thai negotiating team, the government announced in a statement on Sunday night.
Malaysia, which chairs the ASEAN regional cooperation forum, has informed the Thai government that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet would also be attending the talks, the statement said.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the late-May killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief border skirmish. Border troops on both sides were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.
Hostilities resumed on Thursday and, within just four days, escalated into the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in more than a decade.
The death toll has risen above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia, while authorities report that more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas.
Monday's talks come after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last week proposed a ceasefire and U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the two leaders had agreed to work on a ceasefire.
CALLS FOR PEACE
Bangkok and Phnom Penh have each accused the other side of sparking last week's hostilities.
Cambodia's Defence Ministry said Thailand had shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points along the border. The ministry's spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at historic temple complexes.
"For me, I think it is great if Thailand agreed to stop fighting so both countries can live with peace," Phnom Penh university student Sreung Nita told Reuters.
The Thai army said Cambodian forces had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, on Sunday, and were mobilising long-range rocket launchers.
"The situation remains tense and Cambodian troops may be preparing intensified military operations to inflict maximum damage in the final stages before negotiations," the army said in an update.
In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling throughout Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on.
A government health clinic about 10 km (6 miles) from the border had shattered windows, collapsed walls and exposed wiring. Local media reported it was hit by artillery on Saturday, two days after the building and surrounding neighbourhood was evacuated.
Only a few men remained to look after their homes, camping near a makeshift bunker they had dug for protection. Intermittent sounds of artillery fire could be heard in the distance.
"It's great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace," Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan told Reuters.
Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes.
Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but the situation worsened in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Skirmishes over several years brought at least a dozen deaths.
Cambodia said in June it had asked the International Court of Justice to resolve its disputes with Thailand. Bangkok says it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.
(Reporting by Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook in Sisaket, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu Wongcha-um, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Juarawee Kittisilpa in Bangkok, Chantha Lach and Zaw Naing Oo in Phnom Penh, Rozanna Latiff inKuala Lumpur; Writing by John Mair; Editing by William Mallard, Kate Mayberry and Clelia Oziel)
The talks will focus on mediation over the deadly border conflict that has escalated recently, with both countries accusing each other of sparking hostilities.
The conflict intensified after the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a border skirmish in late May, leading to increased military presence and hostilities.
Malaysia is hosting the mediation talks and has proposed a ceasefire, with its Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim facilitating the discussions between the two nations.
The conflict has resulted in over 30 deaths, including civilians, and more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas due to the fighting.
U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for a ceasefire, indicating that both leaders have agreed to work towards peace during the upcoming talks.
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