Thailand and Cambodia agree to new ceasefire following weeks of border fighting

Thailand and Cambodia signed a fresh ceasefire agreement Saturday aimed at stopping weeks of heavy fighting along their shared border, where disputed territory has fueled rising tensions and periodic clashes.

The pact, which was reached by the two nations’ defense ministers and implemented at noon local time, calls for both sides to halt all military movements and refrain from airspace violations for combat purposes. 

It also includes a stipulation that Thailand will release 18 Cambodian soldiers held since earlier fighting in July if the ceasefire holds for 72 hours — a key demand from Phnom Penh, according to the Associated Press.

The recent surge in violence shattered an earlier agreement that had aimed to calm disputes over competing territorial claims. Cambodia’s defense ministry reported that Thai airstrikes, including strikes over the weekend prior to the agreement, struck targets in northwest Cambodia — the latest in a series of escalatory actions that rattled efforts to hold peace talks.  

Hours after the signing, Thailand’s foreign ministry lodged a protest with Cambodia after a Thai soldier suffered a permanent disability from stepping on a land mine that Bangkok claims was laid by Cambodian forces along the contested border.