The Thai-Cambodian People Alliance for Peace issued a statement on Friday (12 December) demanding an end to armed conflict at the Thailand-Cambodia border.
Backed by 39 community groups and civil society organizations from Thailand and Cambodia, the statement says that the border clash have displaced people from both countries who live along the border and whose way of life have long involved cross-border trade, while those who do not face the effects of the conflict support violence and invasion.
The network said it is against an unnecessary war, noting that for them, the conflict only serve to distract the public from internal political issues in both countries. It also resists the provocation of ultranationalism and militarism that strengthen both countries' armies and create hatred among people.
The network calls on the Thai and Cambodian governments to honour the peace agreeement they previously signed and to immediately end the border clashes. Both governments must return normalcy to border population so they can safely return to their lives and work. Both must also cooperate with each other, as well as with other ASEAN member states, to keep peace and ensure safety and security for people in the region.
The full statement reads:
Thai-Cambodian People Alliance for Peace
Thai and Cambodian Governments must Stop the Fight at the Border Immediately
And Return Peace and Safety to People Soonest
The fight between governments of Thailand and Cambodia, that bring soldiers to the border areas to attack each other since mid-2025, is erupted again on December 7, 2025. All these fights happen because governments of both countries are facing the internal political instability and they want to hide their failures in governance, including the failure in suppressing transborder criminal businesses. Later, conflicts among the elites of both countries are added into the causes. Moreover, both governments take advantages of the unclear borderline to stir up the ultranationalism and let their armies to play the roles of warmongers, without care for the low-ranking soldiers’ lives. All these fights are for the interest of the ruling elites only.
But the people of both countries, especially villagers, peasants, workers, traders, the poor and the grassroots have lived the normal life along the borderline, have farmed, have visited, and have crossed the border to trade and exchange since long time ago. Now they are forced to evacuate, to escape, to leave their farmland, to stop working, and to live in constant fear. Worse still, many people who do not live in the war zones and not face the sufferings, stir up and support intimidation and invasion, taking no responsibility at all.
We, Thai-Cambodian People Alliance for Peace, firmly resist against wars, that have never been necessary. Wars happen only to divert the public attention away from the real internal political problems, both in Thailand and Cambodia. We resist against the provocation of ultranationalism and militarism that strengthen the army of both countries and create hatred among people. These are instruments for the elites to keep their hegemony.
We insist that both Thai Government and Cambodian Government must respect the Peace Deal that is monitored by ASEAN countries in order to guarantee peace and security of the ASEAN region.
We, Thai-Cambodian People Alliance for Peace, demand that:
1. Government of Thailand and Government of Cambodia must respect and implement Peace Deal that they already signed now without any excuse.
2. Government of Thailand and Government of Cambodia must stop the fight along the countries’ borderline immediately.
3. Government of Thailand and Government of Cambodia must return peace and security to people living in the borderline so that they can live and work with safety soonest.
4. Government of Thailand and Government of Cambodia must cooperate together and seek cooperation from the ASEAN region at their best to keep peace and to ensure safety and security for people in the ASEAN region.
To support the Statement, the individuals, communities, organizations, networks and people’s social movements in Thailand, Cambodian and ASEAN countries sign our names hereunder.
Signatories of the Statement
1. Assembly of the Poor, Thailand
2. Thai Poor Act, Thailand
3. Solidarity Collective, Thailand
4. Milk Tea Alliance, Thailand,
5.Singhadang Feminists' Club, Thailand
6. Feminist’s Liberation Front Mekong-Chi-Mun, Thailand
7. Seri Kasetsart, Thailand
8. Feminists for Friends, Thailand
9. Khonkaen Rim-Rail Council, Thailand
10. Khonkaen Homeless Network, Thailand
11. Khonkaen: Voice of Youth (KK-VoY), Thailand
12. 4QUEENS, Thailand
13. The Coalition of Innovators for Thai Youth (CITY), Thailand
14. Union for Civil Liberty (UCL) Thailand
15. NGO Coordinating Committee on Development (NGO-COD), Thailand
16. North-Eastern NGO Coordinating Committee on Development, Thailand
17. Northern NGO Coordinating Committee on Development, Thailand
18. Campaign for Public Policy on Mineral Resources (PPM), Thailand
19. Human Rights Law for Community Project, Thailand
20. Eco-culture Study Group, Thailand
21. Network of People Who Own Mineral Resources, Thailand
22. Northern Development Foundation, Thailand
23. Northern Peasant Federation, Thailand
24. Community Activities Northern (CAN), Thailand
25. Isan democracy movement (IDM), Thailand
26. Consumer Association of Khonkaen, Thailand
27. Act Lab, Thailand
28. Cambodian Grassroots Cross-sector Network, Cambodia
29. People's Action for Development Organization, Cambodia
30. The 78 Water Reservoir Community, Cambodia
31. Kiri Mean Chey Forestry Community, Cambodia
32. Phnom Kriel Protected Area Community, Cambodia
33. Tani Land Community, Cambodia
34. Rotanak Rukha Protected Area Community, Cambodia
35. Youth Artist Team for Community Development, Cambodia
36. The 317 Land Community, Cambodia
37. The 197 Land Community, Cambodia
38. The 175 Land Community, Cambodia
39. Leaders and Organizers of Community Organizations in Asia (LOCOA), Asia
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