Deadly fighting erupts on Thai-Cambodia border after Trump-mediated peace agreement collapses

Published: 13 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

A deadly flare-up has erupted along the Thai-Cambodia border, leaving one person dead and several others wounded, just days after a peace agreement brokered by former US president Donald Trump collapsed.

The renewed violence follows months of fragile calm after Trump mediated a ceasefire between the two nations in October, ending five days of heavy fighting in July that had killed at least 43 people and forced around 300,000 from their homes in the worst border clashes in a decade.

The truce, signed in Malaysia under Trump’s oversight, came after Washington threatened to suspend trade privileges for both countries unless they agreed to end hostilities. But hopes for lasting peace quickly faded this week when a Thai soldier lost his foot in a landmine explosion near the frontier. Thai authorities accused Cambodia of laying the mine in violation of the ceasefire terms and announced an immediate suspension of the deal.

Tensions spiralled further two days later as both sides exchanged gunfire across the border between Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province and Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a statement that one civilian had been killed and three others wounded in the town of Prey Chan, describing the attack as “a violation of humanitarian principles and recent peace agreements.”

Local residents reported chaos and fear as bullets flew across the frontier.
“They just shot at us. We did nothing,” said Hul Malis, a resident of Prey Chan who was preparing to flee her home. Her husband, Thong Kimleang, said Thai troops “fired a lot of shots” for about 15 minutes during the incident.

Bangkok officials, meanwhile, blamed Cambodian soldiers for “firing shots into Thai territory,” according to army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree. The two governments have traded accusations as border patrols and military reinforcements increase on both sides.

The dispute has deep historical roots, dating back to colonial-era maps drawn during French rule in Cambodia. Thailand has long claimed those maps are inaccurate, particularly around several ancient temples that straddle the frontier and remain flashpoints for national pride and territorial claims.

Despite its fanfare, Trump’s October ceasefire was widely seen as a temporary patch. The agreement failed to address the underlying territorial disagreements or the broader mistrust between Bangkok and Phnom Penh. Still, the former president hailed the deal as evidence of his diplomatic credentials and global influence.

On Tuesday, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited frontline troops and declared the peace deal effectively defunct.
“Today, we consider that the agreement we made in order to bring peace is now over,” he told reporters.

Later, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura sought to soften the stance, clarifying that Thailand had “paused implementation” of the ceasefire rather than formally withdrawn from it.

As gunfire and accusations continue to cross the border, hopes for renewed dialogue appear increasingly remote. For residents caught in the middle, the promise of peace is once again slipping away — replaced by fear, uncertainty, and the sound of conflict returning to a region that had only just begun to heal.