Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has declared the peace treaty with Cambodia void and ordered the closure of additional negotiation channels, framing the dispute as solely between Thailand and what he called its “adversary,” Cambodia.
The declaration follows renewed violence along the Thailand–Cambodia border that triggered civilian flight from frontier communities and tested a peace agreement brokered by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and signed in the presence of US President Donald Trump in October.
On the latest escalation, Thailand’s military said air force jets bombed Cambodian military positions after a Thai soldier was killed in an exchange of fire along the disputed border, with Thailand also reporting eight injured.
Cambodia, for its part, said four civilians were killed and nine injured by Thai Army gunfire in its northern border provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey, while clashes were also reported on Thailand’s side in Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani provinces.
Both governments insisted they did not initiate aggression. Anutin said Thailand would use “necessary means” to preserve sovereignty and warned it would not tolerate violations, while Cambodia’s messaging accused Thailand of striking first and demanded international condemnation.
A notable operational detail in the reporting was Thailand’s strike hitting a Cambodian casino complex that Thai authorities alleged functioned as a drone command center, despite Thailand’s broader claim that air strikes were limited to military facilities.
Thai officials reported at least two hospitals in Surin province closing, at least three hospitals in Ubon Ratchathani shutting, and evacuated residents being redirected to temporary outpatient facilities as communities cycled through repeated shelter moves.
The renewed clashes also landed as the 2025 Southeast Asian Games were reported to be kicking off in Bangkok amid uncertainty, with Cambodian participation under scrutiny after Cambodia withdrew from eight events and cut its contingent from more than 300 athletes to 150, citing safety concerns.
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