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Trump, Donald

Expanded Ceasefire Agreement Signed Between Thailand and Cambodia

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed an expanded ceasefire agreement on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, building on a deal that ended deadly border fighting in July. The agreement was finalized in the presence of United States President Donald Trump, who co-signed the deal along with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The agreement creates a framework for a lasting peace between the two countries, addressing long-standing disputes over territory along their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border.

Key Takeaways:

  • The ceasefire agreement was signed on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and builds on a deal that ended deadly border fighting in July.
  • The agreement creates "the building blocks for a lasting peace," according to Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and was hailed as a "historic day" by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
  • The deal involves Thailand releasing 18 Cambodian soldiers, and the removal of heavy weapons from the border region, with Malaysian troops to be deployed to ensure fighting doesn't restart.
  • The agreement is a result of a truce reached three months ago, when Trump used the threat of higher tariffs against both countries to persuade them to end fighting that resulted in dozens of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.
  • Trump inked separate economic deals with Cambodia and Thailand, involving an agreement on reciprocal trade with Phnom Penh and a deal on critical minerals with Bangkok.
  • Reporting from Thailand, Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng said that while Thais welcomed "any kind of move towards peace," they were viewing the agreement as "the beginning of the end" to the conflict, rather than hailing it as having resolved the dispute in itself.
  • Ou Virak, president of Phnom Penh's Future Forum think tank, attributed the agreement to Trump's use of the threat of tariffs saying, "That's probably the main reason, if not the only reason, but definitely the main reason why the two sides agreed immediately to the ceasefire."

Statistics:

  • 800 kilometers (500 miles) - the length of the disputed border between Thailand and Cambodia
  • 18 - the number of Cambodian soldiers to be released by Thailand as part of the agreement
  • Hundreds of thousands - the estimated number of people displaced by the fighting
  • Dozens - the estimated number of deaths resulting from the July fighting
  • 3 months - the length of time since the initial truce was reached
  • 2025/7/24 - the date of the first phase of the agreement, where Malaysia agreed to mediate in disputes between Thailand and Cambodia
  • 2025/9/29 - the date of the announcement by the new Thai Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, that he would tackle the border conflict and economic woes

Sources:

  • Al Jazeera - "What we know about clashes on the Thai-Cambodian border" (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/24/what-we-know-about-clashes-on-the-thai-cambodian-border)
  • Al Jazeera - "Thailand's new PM vows to tackle Cambodia border conflict, economic woes" (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/29/thailands-new-pm-vows-to-tackle-cambodia-border-conflict-economic-woes)
  • Al Jazeera - "As Trump makes rare visit to Malaysia, PM Anwar's balancing act faces test" (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/24/as-trump-makes-rare-visit-to-malaysia-pm-anwars-balancing-act-faces-test)
  • The Associated Press - report by Ou Virak, president of Phnom Penh's Future Forum think tank

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