Peace deal: Tea Seiha (left) and Nattaphon shaking hands and exchanging documents during the special General Border Committee meeting at a border checkpoint in Thailand’s Chanthaburi province. — Agence Kampuchea Press/AFP
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic, below) has welcomed the ceasefire that has been agreed by Cambodia and Thailand.
He said the decision to halt fighting and hold forces in place reflects a shared recognition that restraint is required, above all in the interest of civilians.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
“The joint statement sets out practical and positive measures, including verification by the Asean Observer Team and direct communication between defence authorities.
“These provide a basis for stability, and I am hopeful that both sides will carry them out faithfully.
“As Malaysia hands over the Asean Chair to the Philippines at midnight on Jan 1, 2026, we will support all efforts to ensure these undertakings are honoured and that Asean’s prestige and credibility as a region of peace are preserved,” he said in a social media post.
Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, effective from noon (local time) yesterday, to end all border hostilities and bring a halt to the conflict that reignited on Dec 7.
The agreement, signed by Thai Defence Minister Natthapon Nakrphanit and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha, ended 20 days of fighting.
On Dec 22, a Special Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to address the Thai-Cambodia conflict was held in Kuala Lumpur to seek de-escalation.
Following the meeting, the foreign ministers urged Cambodia and Thailand to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to cease all forms of hostilities.
The latest fighting between the South-East Asian neighbours stems from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km border.
The conflict, which resumed earlier this month, has killed at least dozens and displaced almost one million people on both sides of the border.
Simmering tensions between the two countries came to a head in July, when the neighbours clashed for five days along some parts of the frontier.
Cambodia and Thailand had signed the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord as the foundation to end the prolonged dispute.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet signed the peace accord on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 26, witnessed by Anwar and United States President Donald Trump.
