Thailand and Cambodia Implement Ceasefire With 72-Hour ASEAN Monitoring

Overview

• The truce took effect at 12:00 local time on December 27 across the full contact line, according to Thailand’s defense minister.
• Both governments pledged non‑escalation, with no troop increases or new equipment deployments and frontline units ordered to hold position and cease hostile actions.
• ASEAN military observers and the parties are monitoring compliance for 72 hours, after which evacuees may return if the border is deemed safe and Thailand plans to hand over 18 captured Cambodian servicemen.
• Bangkok and Phnom Penh affirmed a return to existing mechanisms, including General and Joint Border Committees, border survey and demarcation, and humanitarian demining consistent with Ottawa Convention obligations.
• The United States welcomed the agreement and urged full implementation, and China called the ceasefire an important step; reported losses include 23 Thai soldiers killed and, per Cambodia, 31 civilian deaths with at least 87 wounded.