Tensions have flared again along the Cambodia–Thailand border after gunfire reportedly left one Cambodian villager dead and several wounded in an incident my sources in Phnom Penh tell me violates the U.S.-brokered ceasefire signed just weeks ago.
According to officials I spoke to in the Cambodian capital, Thai troops opened fire on civilians in the area of Prey Chan village, near O’ Bei Choan Commune in Banteay Meanchey Province, late Tuesday afternoon.
Her Excellency Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, Under Secretary of State and Spokeswoman for the Ministry of National Defence, told me when I reached out for comment that the incident began around 3.50 p.m., resumed at 5.54 p.m., and continued intermittently through the evening.
“She said three civilians were injured and one was killed,” I was told. “Cambodian forces stationed nearby were unarmed and acted strictly within the ceasefire terms.”
The Under Secretary added that Cambodia “remains fully committed to resolving the issue peacefully and in accordance with international law.”
Thai military sources, however, gave a very different version. Officials in neighbouring Sa Kaeo Province said Cambodian troops fired first near what they call Ban Nong Ya Kaew village, prompting warning shots in response. They reported no Thai casualties and accused Cambodian forces of violating the truce.
The renewed tension follows a landmine explosion two days earlier in Thailand’s Sisaket Province that injured four Thai soldiers, one of them seriously. Bangkok accused Phnom Penh of laying new mines in breach of the ceasefire, while Cambodia flatly denied it and urged Thailand to “honour the October peace pact.”
That ceasefire — signed in Kuala Lumpur on October 26 with former U.S. President Donald Trump present — built on an earlier truce agreed in July after five days of heavy fighting that killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands. It included commitments to withdraw heavy weapons, clear landmines, and release 18 Cambodian prisoners of war.
The area around Prey Chan — which Thailand refers to as Ban Nong Ya Kaew — lies in one of several long-disputed border zones dating back to the French colonial period, including territories around the Preah Vihear temple complex.
Videos shared by Cambodian residents show panicked villagers running for cover as gunfire echoes in the distance. Cambodian users online condemned what they described as Thai “aggression,” while some Thai commentators said their troops were defending national security.
With both sides accusing the other of violating the truce, the fragile peace that held for barely two weeks now appears close to collapse. Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair, is calling for restraint — but as of Wednesday, no new peace talks had been announced.
