Continuing Cambodia–Thailand Clashes Leave 38 Dead, Border Towns Emptied Out

Continuing Cambodia–Thailand Clashes Leave 38 Dead, Border Towns Emptied Out

The last time I reported on the hostilities between Cambodia and Thailand, President Donald Trump was planning to call officials from both nations to try to salvage the summer cease-fire.

Unfortunately, there was no deal, and the conflict appears no closer to ending; Cambodia officially closed its border to Thailand this weekend.

The move comes as border clashes between the Southeast Asian nations have continued, despite US President Donald Trump saying Friday that they had agreed to a ceasefire.

“The Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to fully suspend all entry and exit movements at all Cambodia-Thailand border crossings, effective immediately and until further notice,” the Cambodian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The announcement comes after Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that his country would keep up military strikes on Cambodia until it no longer felt under threat from its neighbor, telling local media there was no ceasefire in place.

As of this report, the conflict has effectively emptied the border towns between the two nations.  Additionally, it is now being reported that Thailand’s military has stopped fuel shipments passing through a border checkpoint with Laos because of concerns they were being diverted to Cambodia.

A meeting initially scheduled for this week between officials from both governments has been pushed back to next week.

A special meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers – where top diplomats from both sides could have met – that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday had been pushed back to December 22 at Thailand’s request, the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The neighbours have long disputed sections of the frontier, but the scale and intensity of the latest clashes – that stretch from forested inland areas near the Laos border to coastal provinces – are unprecedented in recent history.

Over half a million people have been displaced by the fighting, which has killed at least 38 on both sides over the past eight days, according to national authorities, who mounted a round of evacuations in July when the neighbours clashed for five days before Trump helped broker a truce.

Thailand’s military has restricted the movement of all fuel supplies through the Chong Mek border crossing into Laos after receiving intelligence that these were being routed to Cambodian troops, said Thai defence ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri.

Cambodia reports that Thai bombing raids have struck near shelters for displaced people and about 50 miles away from the country’s key tourist spot of Angkor Wat.

Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped two bombs near camps for displaced people in the Chong Kal district of the northwestern border province of Oddar Meanchey and the Srei Snam district in Siem Reap province just south of Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia’s Ministries of National Defence and Information said.

Srei Snam, where Cambodian officials said a bridge was targeted, is about an 80km (50-mile) drive from Angkor Wat, a sprawling temple that is Cambodia’s national symbol and chief tourist draw.

Minister for Information Neth Pheaktra told the AFP news agency that it was the first time during the renewed fighting that Thailand’s military had struck inside Siem Reap province.

Fighting between the neighbours, fuelled by longstanding rival claims to territory along their shared border, was reignited by a skirmish on December 7.

Meanwhile, Trump warned both countries that he would impose tariffs if hostilities continued.

US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington will impose additional trade duties on Cambodia and Thailand if the two countries fail to stop ongoing hostilities along their shared border, according to an interview published by The Wall Street Journal.

“I just used tariffs 10 minutes ago, just before you came, to settle the new inflammation that took place with Thailand and Cambodia,” Trump said in the interview. “And I told them, ‘If you have the war, not only am I going to break the trade deal we have, but I’m going to put tariffs on your country.’”

US President Donald Trump warns of higher trade tariffs for both sides if they do not stop fighting#CeasefireConcerns #MediationChallenges #EconomicImpact #CambodiaThailandWar #Peaceagreement #DonaldTrumphttps://t.co/1vOAMVq2rN

— Khmer Times (@KhmerTimes) December 16, 2025

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