Clashes continue Monday as Thai, Cambodian leaders set for peace talks
Thailand's Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet are scheduled to meet in Kuala Lumpur at 3pm local time (2pm in Thailand), according to Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub. The gathering will be at the office of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who's facilitating the dialogue in his role as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The first talks since clashes began on July 24 come within 48 hours of Trump saying Thai and Cambodian leaders had agreed to 'quickly work out a ceasefire'. After separate calls with Mr Phumtham and Mr Hun Manet on Saturday, Trump had threatened that Washington will not do a trade deal with either country as long as the fighting continued.
The clashes continued into early Monday morning ahead of the talks, with the Thai army reporting fighting at multiple locations along the border. Cambodia's defence ministry said Thai forces used heavy shelling at two locations from around 3am, the Khmer Times reported, citing a spokesperson.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US officials are on the ground in Malaysia. China, the top trading partner for both the Southeast Asian nations and a major backer of Phnom Penh, is due to participate in the talks, officials from Cambodia said.
'Both President Trump and I remain engaged with our respective counterparts for each country and are monitoring the situation very closely,' Rubio said in a statement. 'We want this conflict to end as soon as possible.'
Trump's tariff threat set off a flurry of diplomatic activities on Sunday with Anwar eventually getting the two sides to agree to meet. Rubio also spoke to the foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia and urged them to immediately de-escalate tensions while offering US help in future talks.
Speaking to reporters just before meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday, Trump acknowledged the phone calls with the two leaders.
'I called the prime ministers of each and I said, 'We're not going to make a trade deal unless you settle the war.' A lot of people killed,' Trump said. 'And I think by the time I got off, I think they want to settle now.'
With Trump's Aug 1 tariff deadline looming, trade-reliant Thailand wants to avoid antagonising the US president, especially as its officials have been holding talks to lower the steep 36% planned levy on its exports. Trump has claimed credit for helping halt border clashes earlier this year between India and Pakistan by leveraging trade measures, and is now applying similar pressure in Southeast Asia.
'When all is done, and Peace is at hand, I look forward to concluding our Trading Agreements with both!,' Trump said on Truth Social after speaking to Thai and Cambodian leaders Saturday.
Thailand's trade talks with the US have included offering expanded access for American goods in an effort to narrow a $46 billion trade surplus with Washington. Neighbouring Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have already secured trade deals with the US in recent weeks.
Thailand and Cambodia shouldn't have needed the pressure from Trump, and should have turned to Asean as a natural middle ground to mediate the conflict well before US intervention, said Fuadi Pitsuwan, a lecturer in international relations at Thammasat University in Bangkok.
'In the end, Trump will likely frame the situation as a win: he enforced a ceasefire while securing leverage' to impose punitive tariff rates, he said.
Despite the economic stakes, Thailand has taken a firm stance ahead of Monday's talks. Officials say any ceasefire must be tied to bilateral resolution of the dispute, the withdrawal of troops, and a halt to the use of lethal weapons. Cambodia, by contrast, has said it is open to an unconditional cessation of hostilities.
The talks are 'intended to listen to all proposals that could contribute to restoring peace,' spokesman Jirayu said. 'The Thai government remains committed to defending the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Every square inch of it.'
The conflict, which escalated from months of simmering border tension, has killed more than 30 people and displaced over 150,000 civilians on both sides. Thailand has reported 22 fatalities, including eight soldiers, while Cambodia has confirmed 13 deaths, including five military personnel.
Heavy artillery fire continued Sunday across their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, with both sides accusing each other of targeting civilians. Thailand has responded by deploying F-16s and Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets to strike Cambodian military positions.
Thailand and Cambodia share a history of border disputes, though relations have remained largely stable since a deadly 2011 clash that left dozens dead. The last major flare-up centred on the Preah Vihear temple, a historic flashpoint rooted in colonial-era disagreements.
Much of the current dispute stems from maps drawn on differing interpretations of early 20th-century Franco-Siamese treaties, which defined the border between Thailand and Cambodia, then part of French Indochina.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bangkok Post
2 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
State earns weak marks for messaging during tension
Social media platforms in Thailand recorded 2.6 million messages in July about Thailand-Cambodia border tensions, with Facebook, YouTube and X, formerly called Twitter, the top three channels. However, communication executives said government officials still fail to effectively communicate during crises and amid cyberwarfare. According to Kla Tangsuwan, chief executive of Wisesight, a social media analytics firm, the dispute generated total engagement of 606 million messages on Thai social media last month, with peak engagement on July 24 with 129 million messages. The 2023 general election only generated 1.42 million messages and 95.2 million engagements over a one-month span, noted Wisesight. The border dispute produced twice the volume of messages as the general election and five times the engagement. "We detect spam and there are a lot of messages from bots using the Cambodian language," said Mr Kla. "It's starting to become a misinformation operation, manipulating people across the country and making them doubt what's real on both sides of the dispute.' There is no Thai special communications centre on the border tension, unlike for other major events such as the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic or the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28, 2025. Thailand needs to communicate facts without opinion to international media and adopt a proactive approach rather than reactive responses, he said. The country needs to demonstrate facts with evidence, build public awareness with verified and emotionally-resonant communication, and adopt a fair and transparent international communication approach, he said. Pawat Ruangdejworachai, chief executive of Media Intelligence Group, said earlier in the week Thailand's reactive, timid messaging has allowed the 'other side' to build sustained momentum through low-cost, emotionally charged media, targeting bottom-tier audiences. Cambodian messages focus on volume over quality, flooding the conversation with gossip, he said. 'When the opposing side communicates, it sometimes dilutes trust in Thailand among international stakeholders,' said Mr Pawat. Mana Treelayapewat, a lecturer in communication at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the government's crisis communication efforts have been insufficient as it needs better coordination and timely, clear messages to relevant stakeholders. This situation requires a dedicated, centralised "war room" to manage messaging, counter misinformation, and present a unified voice across government, military and media channels, he said. When only fragmented information is released, confusion and rumours thrive, said Mr Mana. Thais tend to amplify and share what they hear, while opposing actors exploit the vacuum to release their own narratives, he said, which is why government spokespeople must communicate clearly, credibly and in multiple languages. Counter-narratives must clarify and correct information consistently, as the online world moves faster than official updates, said Mr Mana. He said the Government Public Relations Department (PRD) must have intense coordination with key ministries, developing a unified crisis communication command centre to coordinate with the media, adversaries, and the public.
Bangkok Post
3 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Thai media deny lack of reporting ethics
Three major Thai media organisations issued a joint statement on Thursday, strongly rejecting accusations from the Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ) that Thai media lack ethics in reporting on the Thai-Cambodian border conflict. The statement called the claims unacceptable and defamatory and urged the CCJ to take responsibility for ethical oversight and disinformation control within Cambodia. The statement came from the Thai Journalists Association (TJA), the Society for Online News Providers (SONP) and the National Union of Journalists Thailand (NUJT). The statement demanded that the CCJ cease interfering in Thai media's internal affairs and fulfil its duty to rigorously examine the ethical conduct of Cambodian media, free from control or dominance. It called on the CCJ to take tangible measures to address fake news and disinformation originating and spreading online from Cambodia, noting numerous instances of such disinformation. The Thai media stressed its commitment to ethical self-regulation, saying: "We are fully committed to and respectful of the rights and freedoms of the public and the press. We reaffirm our dedication to reporting based on ethics, impartiality, and accuracy, without inciting hatred between our two nations, and with a genuine desire for peace." It added that the TJA will temporarily suspend relations with the CCJ until the situation normalises, citing concerns that the CCJ is acting more as a government mouthpiece than as an independent organisation. The TJA had previously signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the CCJ to foster mutual understanding through media cooperation.
Bangkok Post
3 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Thailand seeks neutral venue for border meeting with Cambodia
The Ministry of Defence on Thursday confirmed that Thailand has officially requested to change the venue for the upcoming Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting, proposing Malaysia as a neutral host. RAdm Surasan Kongsiri, the ministry's spokesman, said the Cambodian government had invited Deputy Defence Minister Gen Nattaphon Narkphanit to attend the meeting scheduled for Aug 4, but Thailand believed such talks should not be held in a country in conflict with the other party. "According to international norms, countries in dispute should not meet on each other's soil. Such talks should be held in a neutral third country," said RAdm Surasan, citing the example of Ukraine and Russia, which avoided hosting talks in each other's territory. Thailand suggested Malaysia as the neutral third country, given its role in coordinating such discussions. The proposed dates remain Aug 4 to Aug 7, and Thailand will soon send its request to Cambodia and Malaysia. "Thailand's approach was proactive and rooted in the principle of neutrality," said the spokesman. "We will have to wait for Cambodia's response. If they are sincere, we believe they will agree." On Monday, Malaysia hosted talks between Thai and Cambodian leaders, who agreed to an unconditional ceasefire. However, the Thai government complained later accused Cambodia of continued and indiscriminate attacks on Thai soil after the ceasefire took effect at midnight.
