The Royal Thai Army said on Monday it had launched airstrikes along its border with Cambodia, following clashes that killed two Thai soldiers and wounded four others.
Cambodia claims the attack was launched by Thailand and says it did not retaliate.
Both countries have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement brokered by Malaysia and US President Donald Trump.
We recall that a border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia led to a five-day war in July, resulting in the death of at least 48 people and the displacement of around 300,000.
The origin of the conflict
The conflict was an escalation of a long-standing territorial dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, which has its roots in the Franco-Siamese treaties of 1904–1907, which defined the borders between the Kingdom of Siam (modern Thailand) and French colonial Indochina (Cambodia, Laos and modern Vietnam). The dispute is mainly centered around the area near the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple. The maps, drawn up by French cartographers, deviated from the contour line of the Dangrek Mountains in certain areas, especially around Preah Vihear, which was represented on the map as being located in Cambodia. Thailand claims that this was a map error and that the text of the treaty suggested that the temple was on Thai territory.
After Cambodia gained independence in 1953, Thai forces occupied the temple and Cambodia took the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In 1962, the ICJ ruled that Preah Vihear was in Cambodian territory, arguing that Thailand had accepted the map and had not formally objected to it for decades.
However, the surrounding land remained contested due to the fact that the ICJ ruling did not explicitly demarcate the border. The dispute reignited in 2008, when Cambodia successfully included Preah Vihear on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Thai government initially supported the bid; however, nationalist opponents accused the government of ceding Thai territory.
The country later contested the monument's listing, arguing that it implied Cambodian sovereignty over the surrounding land, which Thailand claims. This set the stage for a series of border conflicts from 2008 to 2011, initially around the Preah Vihear temple. In 2011, a conflict erupted over two other ancient temples, claimed by both nations. The 2011 fighting prompted international mediation and ended with a ceasefire in May 2011, and in December 2011, both countries withdrew their troops from the disputed areas near the town of Preah Vihear.
On July 24, 2025, the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia escalated, becoming the worst confrontation between the two countries in a decade. After a period of relative calm, tensions began to rise in May 2025 and exploded in July following a series of incidents. After five days of fighting, the two sides agreed to a truce that each country accuses the other of not respecting.
The ceasefire agreement was brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who hosted the talks as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) alongside the United States and China. It was US President Donald Trump's intervention that led the Thai government, initially reluctant to accept mediation, to agree to talks, as Trump had threatened to freeze trade talks with both countries “until the fighting stops” and warned both nations that they faced a 36% tariff on exports to the US in the absence of a deal.
The conflict drew swift reactions from ASEAN, Cambodia's main backer, China, and the US, Thailand's defense treaty ally. US and Chinese diplomats have been working alongside ASEAN, with both signaling that continued clashes are unacceptable. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet acknowledged China's efforts while thanking Trump for his support. Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai also thanked Trump, acknowledging his role in facilitating the truce.
Cambodia also urgently requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The UNSC met on 25 July 2025 in a closed-door session, and all 15 member states urged both sides to de-escalate tensions, show maximum restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully. The UNSC also encouraged ASEAN to facilitate a resolution and supported Malaysia's mediation efforts.
