Thailand’s military has accused Cambodia of violating a newly agreed ceasefire, saying that clashes resumed just hours after a truce was meant to take effect along their contested border.

Following peace talks in Malaysia on Monday, Thai and Cambodian officials agreed to an unconditional ceasefire starting at midnight to end fighting over a handful of ancient temples located in disputed areas along their 800-kilometre frontier.

“At the time the agreement took effect, the Thai side detected that Cambodian forces had launched armed attacks into several areas within Thai territory,” said Thai army spokesman Winthai Suwaree.

“This constitutes a deliberate violation of the agreement and a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust. Thailand is compelled to respond appropriately, exercising its legitimate right to self-defence.”

Cambodia’s Defence Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata rejected the claim, insisting there had been “no armed clashes against each other in any regions.”

Despite the accusations, both governments said Tuesday morning meetings between opposing regional commanders—outlined in the peace deal—had either begun or were still scheduled to take place.

Thailand accused Cambodia on Tuesday of breaking an hours-old ceasefire meant to end the fierce clashes along their shared border, as both sides blamed each other for continuing hostilities.

Thai army spokesman Winthai Suwaree said Cambodian forces launched armed attacks into several areas within Thai territory after the truce took effect at midnight. “This constitutes a deliberate violation of the agreement and a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust,” he said, adding that Thailand reserved the right to defend itself.

However, Cambodia’s defence ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata denied the allegation, insisting there had been “no armed clashes against each other in any regions”.

The ceasefire followed peace talks in Malaysia on Monday, where Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to an unconditional halt to the fighting. The deal was aimed at ending bloodshed over disputed areas surrounding centuries-old temples along the 800km frontier.

Although Thai authorities reported “small clashes” overnight, Phumtham later said the border was calm. Hun Manet posted on Facebook that the frontline had “eased since the ceasefire at midnight”. Negotiations between the two armies are ongoing, with military commanders expected to meet later today before a cross-border committee convenes on Aug 4 in Cambodia.

The recent escalation has been the deadliest since 2008–2011, when the same contested territory saw intermittent skirmishes. Fighting that reignited last Thursday has killed at least 38 people and displaced nearly 300,000, according to officials. An AFP reporter in Samraong, a Cambodian town near the border, said blasts ceased shortly before midnight and the quiet held through dawn.

The conflict has drawn international concern. US President Donald Trump intervened over the weekend as Washington seeks to maintain regional stability amid trade negotiations with both nations. A UN spokesperson urged both sides to honour the truce and work towards a lasting settlement.

China was also actively involved in brokering the ceasefire alongside Malaysia, which hosted the talks in Putrajaya. In a joint statement, the three nations called the agreement “a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security”.

Both governments have pledged to continue dialogue, though analysts warn the fragile truce may be tested in the coming days given the deep-rooted nature of the border dispute.

CNA

The militaries of Thailand and Cambodia have postponed a meeting scheduled to start negotiations at 10am local time on Tuesday, amid claims of small clashes erupting along the border after both sides agreed to a ceasefire at midnight on Monday.

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A Thai army spokesman told Reuters that no new time for the talks had been set yet.

On Tuesday, Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that the border was calm now, according to Reuters. “There is no escalation,” Phumtham told reporters. “Right now things are calm.”

“The frontline has eased after a ceasefire took effect from Monday midnight in accordance with the spirit of the agreement between Cambodia and Thailand at a special meeting in Malaysia,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a post on his official social media platforms on Tuesday.

“A sooner cessation of hostilities will also allow affected people, such as evacuees, to return to their homes and resume normal livelihoods sooner. This ceasefire and peace agreement is yielding positive and effective results.”

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In the hours between midnight and the military meeting, Thailand’s army had accused Cambodia of violating the truce, saying clashes were continuing along the 800km (500-mile) border.

Thailand’s army accused Cambodia on Tuesday of violating a ceasefire agreed hours earlier, saying clashes continued despite a truce to end deadly border fighting. Both sides had pledged after Monday’s talks in Malaysia to halt hostilities at midnight over disputed ancient temples along their 800-km frontier.

Thailand’s army accused Cambodia Tuesday of violating an hours-old truce, saying clashes continued despite a deal meant to end the bloody fighting that engulfed their jungle-clad frontier.

Following peace talks in Malaysia on Monday, both sides agreed an unconditional ceasefire would start at midnight to end fighting over a smattering of ancient temples in disputed zones along their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border.

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“At the time the agreement took effect, the Thai side detected that Cambodian forces had launched armed attacks into several areas within Thai territory,” said Thai army spokesman Winthai Suwaree.

“This constitutes a deliberate violation of the agreement and a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust, he added in a statement. “Thailand is compelled to respond appropriately, exercising its legitimate right to self-defense.”

Cambodia’s defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata insisted there had been “no armed clashes against each other in any regions”.

However, both sides said morning meetings scheduled between opposing regional commanders along the border as part of the truce pact had either begun or were still scheduled to start.

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“I saw photos of the two leaders shaking hands,” said 32-year-old pharmacy worker Kittisak Sukwilai in the Thai city of Surin — 50 kilometres from the border.

“I just hope it’s not just a photo op with fake smiles — and that those hands aren’t actually preparing to stab each other in the back.”

In Cambodia’s Samraong city — 20 kilometres from the frontier — an AFP journalist said the sound of blasts stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight, with the lull continuing until mid morning.

“The frontline has eased since the ceasefire at 12 midnight,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a Tuesday morning message on Facebook.

‘Good faith’

Jets, rockets and artillery have killed at least 38 people since last Thursday and displaced nearly 300,000 more — prompting intervention from US President Donald Trump over the weekend.

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The flare-up was the deadliest since violence raged sporadically from 2008-2011 over the territory, claimed by both because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia’s French colonial administrators in 1907.

“When I heard the news I was so happy because I miss my home and my belongings that I left behind,” Phean Neth told AFP on Monday evening at a sprawling camp for Cambodian evacuees on a temple site away from the fighting.

“I am so happy that I can’t describe it,” said the 45-year-old.

A joint statement from both countries — as well as Malaysia which hosted the peace talks — said the ceasefire was “a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security”.

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A spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement Monday evening that “he urges both countries to respect the agreement fully and to create an environment conducive to addressing long-standing issues and achieving lasting peace”.

Both sides are courting Trump for trade deals to avert his threat of eye-watering tariffs, and the US State Department said its officials had been “on the ground” to shepherd peace talks.

The joint statement said China also had “active participation” in the talks, hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister and ASEAN bloc chair Anwar Ibrahim in his country’s administrative capital Putrajaya.

Hun Manet thanked Trump for his “decisive” support, while his counterpart, Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, said it should be “carried out in good faith by both sides”.

Post-truce tariff deals

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn marked his 73rd birthday on Monday, but a notice in the country’s Royal Gazette said public celebrations scheduled for Bangkok’s Grand Palace had been cancelled amid the strife.

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Each side had already agreed to a truce in principle, while accusing the other of undermining peace efforts and trading allegations about the use of cluster bombs and targeting of hospitals.

Thailand says 11 of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed only eight civilian and five military deaths.

More than 138,000 people have fled Thailand’s border regions, while around 140,000 have been driven from their homes in Cambodia.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Thai troops have retaliated ‘appropriately’ and in ‘self-defence’, Major-General Winthai Suvaree said in a statement.

Thailand’s army has accused Cambodia of violating an hours-old truce, saying sporadic clashes continued despite an agreement to end the deadly fighting in the disputed border region between the two Southeast Asian countries.

Thai troops have retaliated “appropriately” and in “self-defence”, Thailand’s army spokesman, Winthai Suvaree, said in a statement on Tuesday.

“At the time the agreement took effect, the Thai side detected that Cambodian forces had launched armed attacks into several areas within Thai territory,” Winthai said.

“This constitutes a deliberate violation of the agreement and a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust,” he added.

“Thailand is compelled to respond appropriately, exercising its legitimate right to self-defence.”

Following peace talks in Malaysia, both Cambodia and Thailand agreed that an unconditional ceasefire would start at midnight on Monday to end the fighting in disputed zones along their 800km (500-mile) border, which killed at least 38 people in five days of clashes and displaced nearly 300,000 more.

Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai played down the reported ceasefire violations, and said he had spoken with Cambodia’s defence minister ahead of scheduled talks between military commanders from both countries on Tuesday morning.

“There is no escalation,” Phumtham told reporters.

“Right now things are calm,” he said.

Maly Socheata, a spokesperson for the Cambodian Defence Ministry, said in a briefing that there had been no fighting along the border since the agreement in Malaysia.

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The truce deal was set to see military commanders from both sides meet at 7am local time (00:00 GMT) on Tuesday, before a cross-border committee is convened in Cambodia to further ease tensions on August 4.

A Thai army spokesman said talks between both sides were now scheduled to be held at 10am local time (03:00 GMT).

Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Surin province in Thailand, said the Thai military reported “a couple of clashes in several areas along the border”.

“They did issue a statement saying that the Cambodian military was not respecting the ceasefire agreement. But for the most part, it does seem to be holding,” Cheng said.

In Cambodia’s Samraong city, 20km (12.4 miles) from the border with Thailand, an AFP journalist said the sound of blasts stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight on Monday, with the lull continuing until dawn.

“The front line has eased since the ceasefire at 12 midnight,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a Tuesday morning message on Facebook.

Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo, reporting from Oddar Meanchey province in Cambodia, said local people reported not hearing “any exchange of fire overnight and this morning”.

A joint statement from both countries on Monday – as well as Malaysia, which hosted the peace talks – said the ceasefire was “a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security”.

The flare-up in cross-border fighting has been the deadliest since violence raged sporadically from 2008 to 2011 over disputed border territory.