Intense combat operations continued unabated along the Thailand-Cambodia border region on Saturday, directly contradicting former U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion of having brokered a new ceasefire agreement between the two Southeast Asian nations.
The diplomatic friction intensified when Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow publicly challenged the accuracy of Trump’s statements, particularly his characterization of a land mine explosion that injured Thai soldiers as merely a ‘roadside accident.’ Minister Sihasak expressed profound disappointment that Trump appeared to rely on ‘sources that deliberately distorted the facts’ rather than trusting Thailand’s account, noting this stance ‘hurt the feelings of the Thai people’ given their nation’s status as America’s oldest treaty ally in the region.
This recent escalation traces back to December 7 skirmishes that derailed a previous ceasefire agreement originally negotiated in July through Malaysian mediation and strong diplomatic pressure from Trump, who had threatened trade privilege suspensions. The October formalization of that agreement occurred during a regional summit in Malaysia attended by the former president.
The human cost has been substantial, with official reports indicating over two dozen combat fatalities and more than half a million civilians displaced from border communities. Thailand acknowledges 15 military casualties while estimating approximately 165 Cambodian soldier deaths. Cambodia has confirmed at least 11 civilian fatalities with dozens more wounded.
The military confrontation has involved sophisticated weaponry, with Thailand conducting precision airstrikes on purported military targets while Cambodia has deployed volleys of BM-21 rockets—imprecise artillery systems capable of firing 40 rockets simultaneously across 30-40 kilometer ranges. Tragically, these rockets struck civilian areas in Thailand’s Sisaket province on Saturday, seriously injuring two civilians attempting to reach bunkers during warning sirens.
The conflict expanded to maritime domains Saturday morning as both nations reported naval engagements in the Gulf of Thailand, with each side accusing the other of initiating hostilities.
Despite Trump’s social media announcement of a ceasefire agreement following phone discussions with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, both governments subsequently denied any such arrangement. Prime Minister Anutin had previously stated that peace would require Cambodia to cease attacks first, while simultaneously managing domestic political developments including Parliament’s dissolution ahead of anticipated early elections.