UN welcomes Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed a deal announced by Thailand and Cambodia to put an end to weeks of deadly border clashes, his spokesman said.

Guterres called the ceasefire agreement a positive step towards "alleviating the suffering of civilians, ending current hostilities, and creating an environment conducive to achieving lasting peace," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Saturday.

The Thai and Cambodian forces halted weeks of deadly border fighting after agreeing to a ceasefire, ending nearly 20 days of clashes that killed dozens and displaced nearly a million civilians along their disputed border.

According to the Thai 1st Army Region, the situation along the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo province is now stable after the ceasefire agreement, Thai media outlet Khaosod reported.

The agreement was announced in a joint statement issued after a meeting of the 3rd Special General Border Committee (GBC), a body co-chaired by the defence ministers of both Southeast Asian countries, according to the Cambodian Prime Minister's office.

The ceasefire took effect on Saturday, starting at 12.00 noon local time (0500GMT).

A Thai soldier was injured after stepping on a landmine during an operation in the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket on Saturday, in an incident reported half an hour before the ceasefire took effect, according to the Royal Thai Army on the US social media platform Facebook.

Under the arrangement, both sides commit to halting all armed hostilities and pledge to avoid unprovoked fire, troop advances, or movements towards each other’s positions.

The ceasefire applies across all areas along the border and covers military targets, civilians, and infrastructure, the statement said.

De-escalation measures

Under the agreement, Thailand will return all 18 soldiers, who have been in Thai custody since July, to Cambodia after the ceasefire has been fully maintained for 72 hours.

As part of de-escalation measures, Cambodia and Thailand agreed to maintain their current troop deployments with no further movements, including patrols towards opposing positions.

The joint statement emphasised that the ceasefire is without prejudice to existing border demarcation issues.

Both countries also agreed to resume survey and demarcation work through the Joint Boundary Commission at the earliest opportunity, prioritising affected border areas where civilians reside and ensuring the safety of joint survey teams, including protection from landmines.

The agreement also allows displaced civilians to return safely and with dignity to their homes and livelihoods.

Earlier in the morning, Cambodian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata claimed that the Thai military fired around 500 artillery shells into several border areas, while drones dropped 10 warheads and F-16 fighter jets carried out air strikes near civilian locations, according to state-run Agence Kampuchea Presse.

The spokeswoman alleged that Thailand also used heavy artillery, rocket launchers, tanks, armoured vehicles, drones and infantry units in attacks on parts of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces. 

However, there was no immediate reaction or confirmation from the Thai side to the latest Cambodian claim.