Thailand and Cambodia have made “meaningful progress” in negotiations aimed at ending months of border tensions, Thai Defense Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit said Thursday, ahead of a planned ceasefire signing ceremony on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur.
The agreement, expected to be signed in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump during the ASEAN summit, follows a series of meetings this week between Thai and Cambodian officials focused on finalizing the terms of the peace framework. The discussions come after a five-day conflict in July that left at least 48 people dead and forced the temporary displacement of hundreds of thousands on both sides of the border — the most intense clashes between the two neighbors in decades.
Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Natthaphon said both countries have reached consensus in four main areas: the withdrawal of heavy weapons from contested zones, joint de-mining operations, coordination on combating cyber scams through a new joint task force, and a survey of disputed border areas between Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province and Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey.
Thailand also plans to construct border fences in non-disputed areas, he added. “We want to see clear progress in all the areas that I have mentioned before we consider ceasing hostilities towards each other,” the minister said.
Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tea Seiha said in a separate statement that the agreements reached this week “demonstrate a shared spirit of building mutual trust and confidence, and a firm commitment to improving relations and achieving a return to normalcy between the two countries.”
According to Tea Seiha, the formal peace agreement will also enable the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers currently detained in Thailand following the July clashes. Observers from the United States and Malaysia have participated in the ongoing discussions, underscoring international involvement in mediating the process.
The expected signing on Sunday marks a significant step toward normalizing relations and stabilizing the border region, where tensions have periodically flared over territorial disputes and cross-border criminal activity.