Thailand and Cambodia signal new ceasefire settlement to finish border preventing : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3200x2132+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2F2d%2Ff504ad5d4d7bb9318a21388e2d9e%2Fap25361164513317.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3200x2132+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2F2d%2Ff504ad5d4d7bb9318a21388e2d9e%2Fap25361164513317.jpg" class="img" alt="In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha, left, stands with Thai Defense Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit, right, at the General Border Committee Meeting in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025." fetchpriority="high"/> On this picture launched by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian Protection Minister Tea Seiha, left, stands with Thai Protection Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit, proper, on the Common Border Committee Assembly in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. AP/Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) cover caption

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AP/Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) BANGKOK — Thailand and Cambodia on Saturday signed a ceasefire settlement to finish weeks of armed fight alongside their border over competing claims to territory. It took impact at midday native time.

Along with ending preventing, the settlement requires no additional army actions by both facet and no violations of both facet's airspace for army functions.

Solely Thailand employed airstrikes within the preventing, hitting websites in Cambodia as lately as Saturday morning, in accordance with the Cambodian protection ministry.

The deal additionally requires Thailand, after the ceasefire has held for 72 hours, to repatriate 18 Cambodian troopers it has held as prisoners since earlier preventing in July. Their launch has been a significant demand of the Cambodian facet.

The settlement was signed by the 2 international locations' protection ministers, Cambodia's Tea Seiha and Thailand's Nattaphon Narkphanit, at a checkpoint on their border after lower-level talks by army officers met for 3 days as a part of the already-established Common Border Committee.

The settlement declares that the 2 sides are dedicated to an earlier ceasefire that ended 5 days of preventing in July and follow-up agreements, and consists of commitments to 16 de-escalation measures.

The unique July ceasefire was brokered by Malaysia and pushed via by stress from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold commerce privileges until Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in additional element in October at a regional assembly in Malaysia that Trump attended.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7089x4728+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd2%2Ffb%2F596a387f43deb0b0a0ccbe80b8da%2Fap25360527101264.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7089x4728+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd2%2Ffb%2F596a387f43deb0b0a0ccbe80b8da%2Fap25360527101264.jpg" class="img" alt="The Thai military fires artillery towards Cambodia, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, seen from Thailand's Sa Kaeo province." loading="lazy"/> The Thai army fires artillery in the direction of Cambodia, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, seen from Thailand's Sa Kaeo province. Wason Wanichakorn/AP cover caption

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Wason Wanichakorn/AP Regardless of these offers, the 2 international locations carried on a bitter propaganda struggle and minor cross-border violence continued, escalating in early December to widespread heavy preventing.

Thailand has misplaced 26 troopers and one civilian as a direct results of the fight since Dec. 7, in accordance with officers. Thailand has additionally reported 44 civilian deaths from collateral results of the scenario.

Cambodia hasn't issued an official determine on army casualties, however says that 30 civilians have been killed and 90 injured. Tons of of hundreds of individuals have been evacuated from affected areas on either side of the border.

All sides blamed the opposite for initiating the preventing and claimed to be performing in self-defense.

The settlement additionally calls on either side to stick to worldwide agreements in opposition to deploying land mines, a significant concern of Thailand. Thai troopers alongside the border have been wounded in a minimum of 9 incidents this yr by what they mentioned had been newly planted Cambodian mines. Cambodia says the mines had been left over from many years of civil struggle that ended within the late Nineteen Nineties.

One other clause says the 2 sides "comply with chorus from disseminating false info or faux information."

The settlement additionally says beforehand established measures to demarcate the border will likely be resumed and the 2 sides additionally comply with cooperate on an effort to suppress transnational crimes.

That's primarily a reference to on-line scams perpetrated by organized crime which have bilked victims all over the world of billions of {dollars} annually. Cambodia is a middle for such prison enterprises.