Trump Says Thailand, Cambodia Agree to Renew Ceasefire, Return to Accord

President Donald Trump announced on December 12 that Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet "have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening," posting the declaration on Truth Social and briefing reporters after telephone calls with both leaders. Mr. Trump said the two governments would "go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim," and the White House said the announcement followed direct calls with Anutin and Hun Manet.

The statement seeks to stem a five day flare up along the Cambodia Thailand frontier that news organizations described as deadly and which the BBC reported had killed at least 20 people and displaced roughly 500,000 civilians. Fighting in the recent escalation spread across at least six provinces in north eastern Thailand and five provinces in Cambodia’s north and north west, with media images showing rocket launches, artillery fire, damaged homes and medevac operations for wounded Thai soldiers. Displaced civilians have gathered in camps including Batthkav in Chong Kal, Oddar Meanchey Province in Cambodia, while Thai local authorities reported damaged property and active firefighting in affected border districts.

The ceasefire Trump described would return the parties to an accord originally brokered by Malaysia in July and formalized at a regional meeting in October that Mr. Trump attended. Reporting indicates U.S. pressure played a role in securing the earlier cessation, with Mr. Trump and U.S. officials portraying the administration as instrumental in mediation and in securing commitments from both capitals. Tensions rose again in November after Thailand suspended the agreement when Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines, a development Bangkok cited as a reason for renewed vigilance and later military responses.

Despite the White House announcement, neither Anutin nor Hun Manet had independently confirmed the renewed truce in public statements at the time of reporting. After his call with Mr. Trump, Anutin told a news conference that a ceasefire would only come about if "Cambodia will cease fire, withdraw its troops, remove all landmines it has planted," signaling conditions Bangkok says must be met. Independent confirmation from Phnom Penh remained outstanding.

Beyond the immediate humanitarian toll, the clashes carry economic and policy implications for a wider region already navigating supply chain fragility and tourism recovery. Border provinces on both sides depend heavily on cross border trade and agricultural markets, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people will create urgent demands for shelter, food, and medical care that will pressure national budgets and prompt requests for international humanitarian assistance. The episode also tests ASEAN mediation mechanisms and could prompt renewed international engagement on mine clearance and troop withdrawal verification.

Key lines of follow up include formal confirmations from Bangkok and Phnom Penh, accurate casualty and displacement tallies from national authorities and U.N. or NGO agencies, and any evidence of troop withdrawals or mine clearance operations that would meet Thailand’s stated conditions. For now the White House announcement offers a fragile pause in violence, while many on the ground await tangible steps that would make a ceasefire durable.