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Thai PM says no ceasefire with Cambodia, more attacks, despite Trump claim

Al Jazeera

Saudi Arabia

Saturday, December 13


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Trump's Ceasefire Announcements


Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said his country has not reached a ceasefire agreement with Cambodia and the Thai military will continue fighting on the disputed border.

Earlier, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who has been a key mediator in peace talks between the two nations, said that the two countries should cease hostilities starting on Saturday evening.

United States President Donald Trump claimed late Friday that he had successfully brokered a ceasefire between the neighbouring countries. That was quickly overtaken by ongoing military exchanges. Cambodia has not commented on Trump’s claim.

Thailand’s Defence Ministry spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said four soldiers were killed on Saturday in the Chong An Ma area, bringing the toll to 14 soldiers since fighting erupted on Monday. Cambodian authorities have not reported any casualties as a result of these most recent attacks.

More than 20 people have now been killed across both countries, with nearly 200 more wounded over six days of renewed fighting. An estimated 600,000 people have also been displaced on both sides of the 800km-long (500-mile) Thailand-Cambodia border, where the conflict centres on disputed ownership of centuries-old temples.

“Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people. I want to make it clear. Our actions this morning already spoke,” Anutin said in a Facebook post on Saturday morning.

The Thai leader’s announcement came after Cambodia had earlier accused Thailand of continuing to drop bombs in its territory, hours after President Trump said Bangkok and Phnom Penh had agreed to stop fighting.

“On December 13, 2025, the Thai military used two F-16 fighter jets to drop seven bombs” on a number of targets, the Cambodian Ministry of Defence said in a post on social media.

“Thai forces have not stopped the bombing yet and are still continuing the bombing,” the ministry said, listing numerous aerial and ground attacks on villages and settlements up until 8am (01:00 GMT) on Saturday morning.

Local news outlet The Khmer Times cited the Cambodian Ministry of Information as saying two hotels were bombed in the Thmor Da area of Pursat province, on the border with Thailand. The news outlet published a series of photos showing badly bombed hotel and casino buildings.

People stand on a damaged bridge in Pursat in Pursat province on December 13, 2025, amid clashes along the Cambodia-Thailand border. The latest clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which stem from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier, have displaced around half a million on both sides. (Photo by AFP)
People stand on a bombed-out bridge in Cambodia’s Pursat province on December 13, 2025, amid clashes along the Cambodia-Thailand border [AFP]

In another attack, the Thai navy reportedly opened fire from a vessel off the coast, launching 20 artillery shells into Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, striking hotels and beaches.

The Ministry of Interior nevertheless announced the closure of Cambodia’s border with Thailand, “effective immediately and until further notice.” It said in a statement that Cambodian citizens residing and working in Thailand were to remain there, while Thai citizens would also remain in Cambodia, “until the ceasefire is fully implemented”.

Saturday marks six days of fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours after a peace agreement brokered by Trump in October broke down on Monday.

The continued fighting comes despite Trump taking to social media late on Friday to announce he had brokered what he said was an agreement between the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia “to cease all shooting”.

“I had a very good conversation this morning with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, concerning the very unfortunate reawakening of their long-running War,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday.

“They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim,” Trump said.

A boy holding a supply stands among people waiting to collect supplies at Batthkav refugee camp, amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Chong Kal, Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia, December 12, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A boy stands among people waiting to collect supplies at Batthkav refugee camp in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, on December 12, 2025 [Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters]

Trump also claimed in his post that a roadside bomb that had “killed and wounded numerous Thai soldiers was an accident”.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin refuted this claim on Facebook, too, saying it was “definitely not a roadside accident”.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Bangkok, Jack Barton, said the conflict has proved beneficial for Anutin’s standing in Thailand, coming as he announced he would dissolve parliament due to a legislative impasse with the opposition People’s Party, paving the way for a snap election.

“This conflict has seen his popularity rising after flagging polls over his perceived mishandling of flooding in [Thailand’s] south and the economy,” Barton said.

“So it’s unlikely he will want to return to a ceasefire until the results of those elections within two months are known,” he added.

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