A new wave of armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has escalated, casting doubt over the status of the peace agreement signed just two months ago. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that Thailand will no longer enter into negotiations unless Cambodia complies with the conditions set by Thailand.

The fresh tension stemmed from an incident on the evening of Sunday (7 December) where both sides traded accusations of opening fire with small arms along the disputed border in Sisaket’s Kantharalak District and the Chong Bok area of Ubon Ratchathani’s Nam Yuen District. The exchange of fire lasted for 35 minutes and left two Thai soldiers injured.

Residents in four provinces — Sisaket, Buriram, Surin, and Ubon Ratchathani — were instructed to evacuate to designated shelters. 

A new wave of deadly border clashes was reported in Ubon Ratchathani on the following day (8 December). The violence later spread to Surin and Buriram provinces, resulting in one soldier killed and eight injured. The Thai military said that Cambodia launched BM-21 rockets into residential areas, but no casualties were reported. Meanwhile, Kiripost reported that four Cambodian civilians in Oddar Meanchey province have been reportedly killed and nine injured in the exchange of fire.

The Army Spokesperson Winthai Suvaree said that the Royal Thai Air Forces deployed F-16 fighter jets targeting the Cambodian military bases that had fired into Thai territory and caused injuries and death to Thai soldiers.

Over 600 schools in five border provinces — Surin, Sisaket, Ubon Ratchathani, Buriram, and Sa Kaeo —were closed, and four hospitals in Sa Kaeo province ceased operations, except for emergency and critical patients.

As of 6.00 on Monday, the 2nd Army Region reported that approximately 70% of the residents have been evacuated, and over 35,000 civilians have registered in the temporary shelters.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revealed in a press conference that military operations will be conducted proportionately according to the situation, and that the government will protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in line with international law.

The government expressed confidence in the ability of the Royal Thai Army, which performed its duties according to the rules on the use of force, adhered to humanitarian principles to protect the people, and maintained peace and order throughout the border area.

The PM also asserted that Thailand did not want violence and had never initiated the violence.

Anutin also revealed that Thailand will no longer negotiate, as Cambodia initiated the attacks, adding that to end the violence, Cambodia must comply with the conditions set by the Thai side.

When asked about the Joint Declaration or the peace agreement previously agreed upon with Cambodia, the PM said that, “There is none. I do not remember.”

Meanwhile, Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, as ASEAN Chair, expressed concerns over the new wave of clashes between the two countries.

“Thailand and Cambodia are close partners of Malaysia and key members of ASEAN. We urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint, maintain open channels of communication and make full use of the mechanisms in place. Malaysia stands ready to support steps that can help restore calm and avert further incidents,” said the Malaysian PM.

On the Cambodian side, the Cambodian Senate president and former PM Hun Sen revealed that he has cancelled all appointments to join his son, Cambodian PM Hun Manet, in overseeing the situation and commanding the armed forces.

Hun Sen also released a 16-second video of Thailand's Anutin, which showed that he has a close relationship with Ban Sreymom, Governor of Cambodia’s Pailin Province.

“I never thought that Thai PM Anutin, for the purpose of future (electoral) votes, would dare to use the lives of soldiers and people by declaring war on Cambodia, while Cambodian armed forces did not respond. Before becoming prime minister, he was a friend, but when he became prime minister, he forgot about friendship. We understand the love of the nation, but we should not declare war on those who do not fire back,” said Hun Sen.

Previously, Hun Sen leaked a controversial phone conversation with former Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra regarding the border disputes, which shook Thailand’s domestic politics, as Paetongtarn was later removed from office by the Constitutional Court for unethical behaviour.

How did both countries end up in the new wave of clashes?

This new round of armed conflict is the most serious conflict since Thailand and Cambodia agreed to the peace agreement presided over by Anwar Ibrahim and Donald Trump on 26 October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, following 5 days of armed clashes in July.

Hostility between Thailand and Cambodia flared in May this year, after one Cambodian soldier was killed in an exchange of gunfire along the border, marking the first deadly clash since the one in 2011over the Preah Vihear Temple.

Tension between Thailand and Cambodia reached breaking point after Thailand’s then Acting PM Phumtham Wechayachai announced the recall of the country’s ambassador to Cambodia following injuries to Thai soldiers by landmines along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The armed clashes erupted on 24 July and lasted until 28 July. 14 Thai civilians were killed and 37 injured. Over 130,000 people were evacuated from districts near the border in seven provinces. Eight military personnel were killed and 103 were injured.

Since the previous deadly clashes, the level of distrust between the two countries has remained high, even though both sides signed a ceasefire deal. Both sides have periodically accused each other of breaching the deal.

It was reported that several Thai soldiers were injured by landmines on seven occasions since 16 July, four of which occurred after the ceasefire was reached. The Thai government said that all of the landmines were newly laid and accused Cambodia of these incidents. Cambodia denied all allegations.

Both countries returned to the negotiation table due to pressure from Donald Trump, but the peace agreement seemed fragile as neither of them was initially willing to negotiate. Following the agreement, both sides agreed to withdraw heavy artillery from the disputed areas, conduct de-mining operations, and implement measures to restore and maintain confidence and trust.

However, just two weeks after the historic peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, Thailand unilaterally announced it had suspended the agreement after Thai soldiers were injured in the latest landmine incident on 10 November.

On 5 December, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow addressed the 22nd Meeting of the States Parties of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention in Geneva, requesting the UN’s good offices to facilitate the establishment of an independent fact-finding mission regarding the newly laid landmines along the Thai-Cambodian border.