Thai soldiers suffer injuries due to a landmine explosion along the Cambodian border.
The Thai-Cambodia border conflict, which erupted on July 24, 2025, after a landmine incident involving Thai soldiers, has ended with an immediate and unconditional ceasefire effective midnight July 28, 2025.
The conflict, marked by intense fighting involving artillery, airstrikes, and shelling of civilian areas, resulted in at least 43 fatalities and displaced over 130,000 civilians. Clashes occurred near disputed sites such as the Preah Vihear Temple and Ta Muen Thom.
The escalation of the conflict was preceded by border crossing restrictions, cross-border boycotts, and bans of goods and services. The landmine incident that triggered the conflict occurred in northeastern Thailand's Sisaket province, where three Thai soldiers were wounded. Thailand's foreign ministry suggested that new landmines are being laid in violation of international law, citing the recent landmine incident as evidence.
Cambodia, a party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty Convention, has an internationally recognized record of removing, not deploying, landmines. Cambodia had previously suggested that two earlier explosions last month, which wounded Thai soldiers, might be landmines from past conflicts.
Both Thailand and Cambodia have committed to the Ottawa Convention, an international agreement prohibiting the use of certain weapons. The Ottawa Convention was also invoked by the Thai army following the landmine incident.
The five-day conflict ended following US President Donald Trump's intervention. Diplomatic relations were downgraded, and martial law was declared in Thai border provinces. ASEAN and the UN called for a ceasefire; talks were held in Kuala Lumpur on July 28 where the ceasefire was declared.
Political tensions within Thailand, involving former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s family and their relations to Hun Sen of Cambodia, contributed to the volatile environment. As of mid-August 2025, the ceasefire remains in effect but underlying issues of territorial disputes and political tensions have not been fully resolved, keeping the border region fragile.
References:
- BBC News
- Reuters
- The Diplomat
- The Guardian
- The international society closely monitored the political tensions and war-and-conflicts along the Thai-Cambodia border, with general news outlets like BBC News, Reuters, The Diplomat, and The Guardian providing regular updates.
- The government of Thailand blamed Cambodia for violating international law, citing the deployment of new landmines and the recent border conflict, which was also a violation of the Ottawa Convention, an international agreement both countries have signed.
- The ceasefire in the Thai-Cambodia border conflict was declared after intense negotiations held in Kuala Lumpur on July 28, 2025, following US President Donald Trump's intervention and calls for a peaceful resolution from ASEAN and the UN.
- As the ceasefire is in effect, policy-and-legislation, crime-and-justice issues, and the resolution of underlying territorial disputes and political tensions between Thailand and Cambodia remain significant concerns for the international community, with the focus shifting towards long-term stability in the region.
