https://www.scmp.com/rss/525143/feed A territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand broke out into armed conflict along their borders on July 24, 2025. An unconditional ceasefire was agreed on by both parties on July 28, 2025 but fighting began again in December 2025. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Bloomberg Bloomberg Across much of the world, young people are turning away from military service. In Thailand, they are queuing up. Voluntary enlistment in the Southeast Asian nation has climbed steadily over the past five years – so much so that in some districts, annual conscription quotas, which happen in April, are being filled from ranks of willing men alone. It is somewhat paradoxical, considering the recent, lethal border clashes with Cambodia have made clear that military service is no longer a distant... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349449/thai-men-sign-military-driven-prospect-steady-pay-amid-sluggish-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349449/thai-men-sign-military-driven-prospect-steady-pay-amid-sluggish-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 02:15:22 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand will start building fences along a portion of its border with Cambodia next month to boost security after deadly clashes between the countries erupted last year following long-standing tensions. The first barrier will cover 1.3km (0.8 miles) in Chanthaburi province along Thailand’s eastern border, according to Vithai Laithomya, spokesman of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. The fencing off of the area – a small part of the nearly 800km border between the two nations – was not part of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346913/thailand-build-fence-along-parts-cambodian-border-peace-mind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346913/thailand-build-fence-along-parts-cambodian-border-peace-mind?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:55:55 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand and Cambodia are battling for narrative control over their border dispute, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet alleging truce violations during a Washington trip – and Bangkok accusing its neighbour of spreading “distorted” information to the international community. The two nations intermittently clashed over demarcation points along their 817km (508-mile) border from last July until December 27, when a second ceasefire was reached. The fighting killed 149 people and displaced... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343975/thailand-and-cambodia-fight-worlds-ear-over-deadly-border-feud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343975/thailand-and-cambodia-fight-worlds-ear-over-deadly-border-feud?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:25:15 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Cambodia is scrambling to shore up an economy battered by months of border conflict with Thailand, as shuttered crossings choke trade and hundreds of thousands of migrant workers return home to fewer jobs and lower pay. Prime Minister Hun Manet is travelling to the United States and Europe this week seeking to diversify markets and secure new investment, part of a broader effort to reduce Cambodia’s reliance on Thailand after the fighting forced supply chains to be diverted and slashed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343805/cambodia-seeks-economic-reset-after-thailand-border-war-batters-trade-and-remittances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343805/cambodia-seeks-economic-reset-after-thailand-border-war-batters-trade-and-remittances?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 07:00:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A sign hanging from a rusty shipping container installed by Thai forces on what they say is the border with Cambodia proclaims: “Cambodian citizens are strictly prohibited from entering this area.” On opposite sides of the makeshift barricade, fronted by coils of barbed wire, Cambodians lamented their lost homes and livelihoods as Thailand’s military showed off its gains. Thai forces took control of several patches of disputed land along the border during fighting last year, which could amount... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342765/cambodians-lose-homes-thailand-makes-gains-following-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342765/cambodians-lose-homes-thailand-makes-gains-following-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 09:28:53 +0000 Reuters Reuters Passersby stopped Thailand’s former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva every now and again to ask for selfies ‌as the salt-and-pepper-haired leader walked through a bustling market in Bangkok, campaigning for general elections on Sunday. “Good to see you again, still handsome just like before,” said ‍one noodle vendor, reflecting voters’ persisting warm feelings for the Oxford-trained economist, who is making an unexpected comeback to frontline politics. Abhisit’s return has fuelled a revival of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342303/former-thai-prime-minster-abhisit-vejjajiva-returns-lead-democrat-revival-ahead-poll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342303/former-thai-prime-minster-abhisit-vejjajiva-returns-lead-democrat-revival-ahead-poll?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:13:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In the town of O’Smach, along Cambodia’s northern border with Thailand, stands a compound of abandoned buildings that were battered by shelling during recent weeks of armed clashes. The site, now occupied by Thai troops, had served as one of Cambodia’s notorious scam centres, according to Thai officials. A six-storey building, shown to journalists and international observers on Monday during a trip organised by the Thai military, is scattered with documents, equipment and personal belongings,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342175/inside-abandoned-cambodian-scam-centre-seized-thai-troops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342175/inside-abandoned-cambodian-scam-centre-seized-thai-troops?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 02:51:20 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A “threat assessment” of Thailand amid deadly land border clashes has finally convinced Cambodia to ratify a major UN maritime treaty, according to analysts. Speculation that the Thai navy might close off supply lanes in the Gulf of Thailand also weighed heavily in Phnom Penh’s decision, they said. Phnom Penh ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) on January 16, more than four decades after signing the treaty. It is the last Asean member to do so. Passed during the fifth... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341350/thailand-border-threat-pushes-cambodia-sign-un-sea-treaty-after-over-40-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341350/thailand-border-threat-pushes-cambodia-sign-un-sea-treaty-after-over-40-years?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:23:16 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words On July 27, nine-year-old Soriya Thol was sitting her examinations at Tamoun Sen Chey Primary School in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province when the shelling began. She remembers the brief stillness, then the thud that shook the tin roof of her classroom. Within hours, the school... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3340925/when-conflicts-disrupt-education-societies-lose?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3340925/when-conflicts-disrupt-education-societies-lose?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 03:30:11 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s ruling party, which is seeking to retain power in next month’s election, has vowed to resolve the country’s conflict with Cambodia and clean up its image as a transit hub for trafficked scam victims. The conservative Bhumjaithai Party, which took power in September, has cast itself as the most suitable defender of Thai sovereignty during the border dispute between the two Southeast Asian countries. Clashes erupted for five days last July and reignited in December before a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340252/thai-ruling-party-courts-voters-vowing-end-cambodia-conflict-close-scam-hubs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340252/thai-ruling-party-courts-voters-vowing-end-cambodia-conflict-close-scam-hubs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 07:30:10 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Washington’s recent offer of US$45 million in funding to reinforce the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire is a sign that the US is scrambling to regain the upper hand over China in mediating the rift between the Southeast Asian neighbours, according to analysts. Announcing the funding on Friday, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre said Bangkok and Phnom Penh would strive to implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, signed last year when US President... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339985/why-us-splurging-us45-million-thai-cambodian-border-war-amid-cuts-aid-funding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339985/why-us-splurging-us45-million-thai-cambodian-border-war-amid-cuts-aid-funding?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 08:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Assailants detonated bombs at nearly a dozen petrol stations in Thailand’s south early Sunday, injuring four people, the army said, the latest attacks in the insurgency-hit region. A low-level conflict since 2004 has killed thousands of people as rebels in the Muslim-majority region bordering Malaysia battle for greater autonomy. Several bombs exploded within a 40-minute period after midnight on Sunday, igniting 11 petrol stations across Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339487/4-injured-bombings-thailands-south-amid-ongoing-insurgency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339487/4-injured-bombings-thailands-south-amid-ongoing-insurgency?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 08:31:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United States on Friday announced some US$45 million in aid as it tries to bolster a fragile truce between Thailand and Cambodia. Michael DeSombre, the top State Department official for East Asia, was visiting Thailand and Cambodia to discuss ways to strengthen the ceasefire, which US President Donald Trump has sought to highlight as an achievement. DeSombre said the United States would offer US$20 million to help both countries combat drug trafficking and cyber scams, which have become a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339356/us-pledges-us45-million-bolster-thailand-cambodia-truce-amid-trump-peace-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339356/us-pledges-us45-million-bolster-thailand-cambodia-truce-amid-trump-peace-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:02:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand’s army said on Tuesday its Cambodian counterpart claimed fresh cross-border fire was an accident, after Bangkok accused Cambodian forces of violating a 10-day-old truce with a strike that wounded a soldier. The decades-old dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing around 1 million on both sides. The two countries agreed a truce on December 27, ending three weeks... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338871/thailand-says-cambodia-violated-border-ceasefire-after-strike-wounds-soldier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338871/thailand-says-cambodia-violated-border-ceasefire-after-strike-wounds-soldier?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 06:08:25 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines as Asean chair for 2026 will have to decide how much to intervene in the Thailand-Cambodia row. However, observers warn that the bar for the bloc in conflict-resolution “is not very high”. Analysts expect flare-ups throughout the year between the Southeast Asian neighbours due to long-standing historical differences, despite attempts to establish a truce last year. These include a deal brokered by US President Donald Trump in October in Malaysia, and a meeting on December 29,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338651/why-philippines-asean-chair-may-leave-thai-cambodian-peace-problem-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338651/why-philippines-asean-chair-may-leave-thai-cambodian-peace-problem-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 23:59:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia said on Friday that Thai forces had taken control of a disputed border village, accusing Thailand of “annexing” the area after a truce halted deadly fighting along their contested frontier a week ago. The decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing more than one million on both sides. The two countries agreed a truce on December 27, pledging to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338613/cambodia-accuses-thailand-annexing-chouk-chey-border-village-despite-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338613/cambodia-accuses-thailand-annexing-chouk-chey-border-village-despite-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 09:02:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand on Wednesday released 18 Cambodian soldiers held for five months as prisoners of war, days after a fresh truce between the nations ended weeks of deadly fighting along their contested frontier. A decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times this year, with the latest round of fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing more than a million. Some of the 18 soldiers, with closely cropped hair, smiled, waved... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338312/thailand-releases-18-cambodian-soldiers-held-july?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338312/thailand-releases-18-cambodian-soldiers-held-july?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 09:31:16 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial It’s the season of peace and goodwill, so what better way than for peacemakers to work together. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met his two counterparts from Thailand and Cambodia in Yuxi, Yunnan province, to press both sides to consolidate a fragile ceasefire. All smiles, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, who is also the country’s foreign minister, and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow shook hands as Wang stood between them and looked on. The trilateral talks held in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3338113/china-provides-substance-cambodia-thailand-peace-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3338113/china-provides-substance-cambodia-thailand-peace-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 22:45:08 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to consolidate their ceasefire and restore exchanges after trilateral talks held in China. The three sides had “in-depth exchanges on working step by step through mutual efforts to resume normal exchanges, rebuild political mutual trust, improve Cambodia-Thailand relations and safeguard regional stability”, according to Beijing’s foreign ministry. The ministry issued the statement following a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, his Thai counterpart... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338056/cambodia-and-thailand-agree-resume-exchanges-after-three-way-meeting-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338056/cambodia-and-thailand-agree-resume-exchanges-after-three-way-meeting-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 11:59:53 +0000 Orange Wang,Dannie Peng Orange Wang,Dannie Peng China was ready to help Asean observers monitor the ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday, a day after Bangkok and Phnom Penh called a halt to weeks of deadly border clashes. “China supports Asean in playing its due role and is ready to assist the Asean observer mission in monitoring the ceasefire,” Wang told his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn during talks in Yuxi, Yunnan province. An observer team from the Association of Southeast Asian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337929/china-hosts-trilateral-talks-bid-cement-thailand-cambodia-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337929/china-hosts-trilateral-talks-bid-cement-thailand-cambodia-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 06:45:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire on Saturday, the two countries said in a joint statement, pledging to end weeks of deadly border clashes. At least 47 people were killed and more than a million displaced in three weeks of fighting with artillery, tanks, drones and jets, according to official tallies. The conflict spread to nearly every border province on both sides, shattering an earlier truce for which US President Donald Trump took credit. “Both sides agree to an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337871/thailand-cambodia-sign-ceasefire-deal-after-weeks-deadly-border-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337871/thailand-cambodia-sign-ceasefire-deal-after-weeks-deadly-border-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 04:23:11 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Trip.com Group, the biggest online travel agency in China, said on Thursday that its partnership with Cambodia’s tourism authority was suspended, in a move to address the Chinese public’s heightened sensitivity over safety in the Southeast Asian country. The company, which operates the Ctrip and Qunar sites in mainland China, said the collaboration – originally scheduled to run from September 2025 to March 2026 – “had been suspended due to recent safety alerts issued by the Chinese Embassy in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3337714/tripcom-suspends-tourism-partnership-cambodia-amid-border-clashes-cyber-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3337714/tripcom-suspends-tourism-partnership-cambodia-amid-border-clashes-cyber-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 11:00:14 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Thai marines have rescued five starving animals – two lions and three bears – abandoned in cages at a bombed-out Cambodian casino complex amid a deepening border fight between the neighbours. Security forces were conducting a sweep of the seized building on Sunday in Trat province when they made the grim discovery, prompting them to send a veterinary team to the site the following day. Officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) evaluated the condition... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337641/thai-marines-rescue-starving-lions-bears-cambodian-border-casino?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337641/thai-marines-rescue-starving-lions-bears-cambodian-border-casino?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 10:20:36 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Fresh allegations of violence threatened to derail peace efforts on Monday as Cambodia claimed Thai F-16s bombarded Siem Reap and Preah Vihear, undercutting an earlier announcement by Malaysia that the two sides had agreed to a Christmas Eve ceasefire meeting. Cambodia’s defence ministry said the Thai military shelled areas of Siem Reap and Preah Vihear provinces. “At 4.18pm, the Thai military deployed F-16 fighter jets to bombard further deep into the Cambodian sovereign territory in the area... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337327/malaysia-says-asean-must-do-whatever-necessary-ease-thailand-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337327/malaysia-says-asean-must-do-whatever-necessary-ease-thailand-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 08:28:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse More than half a million people in Cambodia have been displaced by two weeks of deadly border clashes with Thailand, Phnom Penh said on Sunday, ahead of regional talks aimed at easing tensions. The renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours this month, including with tanks, drones and artillery, has killed at least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia, officials said. The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800 kilometre (500... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337238/cambodia-thai-border-clashes-displace-half-million-ahead-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337238/cambodia-thai-border-clashes-displace-half-million-ahead-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 11:37:50 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand bombed a casino and a bridge in Cambodia, according to reports, as clashes between the two sides continued unabated ahead of a special Asean foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday to discuss the conflict. Thai F-16 fighter jets struck O’Chik Bridge in Oddar Meanchey province on Friday night, The Nation Thailand paper reported, citing the Thai army. The bridge is located on a road about 62km (39 miles) from the Thai border and is said to be an ammunition supply route for Cambodian... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337220/thailand-strikes-cambodia-casino-bridge-asean-seeks-de-escalate-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337220/thailand-strikes-cambodia-casino-bridge-asean-seeks-de-escalate-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 06:39:32 +0000 Naruemon Chaingam Naruemon Chaingam As the windows rattled from distant explosions, British tourist Brian* sat sleepless in a dim hotel room in Thailand’s Trat province, waiting out a curfew he had not known existed. With artillery ringing out from across the border with Cambodia, his dreams of reaching the island of Koh Kood seemed to dissolve into the darkness. “The police said the road was closed and I’d have to find accommodation overnight,” Brian told This Week in Asia, offering only his first name. “I heard explosions all... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3337103/rivals-rain-and-rising-costs-thailands-tourism-crown-slips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3337103/rivals-rain-and-rising-costs-thailands-tourism-crown-slips?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:00:18 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Russia has dismissed reports of its nationals fighting for Cambodia in the escalating border clash with Thailand, saying the “unfounded assertions undermine” the traditionally friendly ties between Moscow and Bangkok. The Russian embassy in the Southeast Asian kingdom said in a social media post on Monday that the claims emerged from outside Thailand. Thailand and Cambodia are locked in a deadly conflict that has killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337036/russia-slams-unfounded-claims-citizens-fighting-cambodia-thailand-border-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337036/russia-slams-unfounded-claims-citizens-fighting-cambodia-thailand-border-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 07:14:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia said Thailand’s military on Thursday bombed the casino town of Poipet, a major crossing between the two nations, as foreign powers pressured them to halt reignited border clashes. Thai forces “dropped two bombs in the area of Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey Province” at around 11am on Thursday, the Cambodian defence ministry said in a statement. Thailand has not yet confirmed any strike on Poipet – a bustling casino hub popular with Thai gamblers. The renewed fighting between the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336906/thai-cambodia-border-conflict-intensifies-bombing-claims-casino-town?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336906/thai-cambodia-border-conflict-intensifies-bombing-claims-casino-town?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:26:38 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Economic and political stakes continue to rise from the Thai-Cambodian border conflict as the crucial high season for tourism begins for both countries. Thailand has imposed an overnight curfew in parts of Trat, the southern Thai province abutting Cambodia and a gateway to several popular resort islands. Late on Monday, Thai immigration police also announced extra screening of all air arrivals to prevent foreign “mercenaries” from slipping into the country. Meanwhile, Cambodia alleged the Thai... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336604/thai-cambodian-border-conflict-disrupts-holiday-high-season-tourists-shy-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336604/thai-cambodian-border-conflict-disrupts-holiday-high-season-tourists-shy-away?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 07:21:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia accused Thailand on Monday of striking deep inside its territory, bombing areas less than a two-hour drive from the country’s main tourist draw, the centuries-old Angkor temples, in a reignited border conflict. Dozens of people were killed in five days of fighting in July before a truce was brokered and then broken within months, part of a long-standing conflict rooted in the colonial-era demarcation of the countries’ 800km (500 miles) frontier. Renewed fighting between the Southeast... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336482/thailand-bombs-siem-reap-province-home-ancient-angkor-wat-temple-says-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336482/thailand-bombs-siem-reap-province-home-ancient-angkor-wat-temple-says-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:05:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s military has said it is considering blocking fuel exports to Cambodia, as fighting between the two countries spread to coastal areas of a disputed border region two days after US President Donald Trump said the sides had agreed to a new ceasefire. The Southeast Asian neighbours have resorted to arms several times this year since a Cambodian soldier was killed in a May skirmish, reigniting a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Thai... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336415/thai-pm-anutin-says-no-cambodian-ceasefire-first-civilian-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336415/thai-pm-anutin-says-no-cambodian-ceasefire-first-civilian-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 23:05:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand on Sunday announced its first civilian death in a week of fighting with Cambodia, as international efforts fail to stop violence that has forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. The latest killing comes a day after Bangkok denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce had been agreed between the Southeast Asian neighbours. The border clashes, rooted in a colonial-era demarcation dispute along the two nations’ 800km (500 miles) border, have displaced around 800,000 people,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336374/cambodia-thailand-border-clashes-persist-despite-trumps-intervention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336374/cambodia-thailand-border-clashes-persist-despite-trumps-intervention?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 07:11:28 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Cambodia suspended all of its border crossings with Thailand on Saturday, as the two countries remained locked in a deadly military conflict. “The Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to fully suspend all entry and exit movements at all Cambodia-Thailand border crossings, effective immediately and until further notice,” Cambodia’s interior ministry said in a statement. A spokesman justified the move with the protection of the country. Fighting between the two nations along their shared... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336294/thailands-pm-says-no-ceasefire-cambodia-yet-after-trump-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336294/thailands-pm-says-no-ceasefire-cambodia-yet-after-trump-call?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 17:10:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Three Thai civilians were killed as heavy combat continued along the country’s border with Cambodia, the Thai military said on Thursday, marking the country’s first civilian fatalities since the fighting resumed. The latest large-scale fighting was set off by a skirmish on Sunday that wounded two Thai soldiers and derailed a ceasefire pushed by US President Donald Trump that ended five days of combat in July over long-standing territorial disputes. About two dozen people have been reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336038/thailand-cambodia-border-clash-deaths-rise-trump-seeks-put-out-little-flame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336038/thailand-cambodia-border-clash-deaths-rise-trump-seeks-put-out-little-flame?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 07:50:57 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The collapse of the fragile truce between Thailand and Cambodia has plunged one of Southeast Asia’s most volatile border disputes back into crisis, renewing scrutiny of whether Asean can contain the fast-escalating conflict between two of its own members. The ceasefire – mediated in July by Asean chair and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and reinforced by a peace accord signed before US President Donald Trump in October – had been held up as evidence that the bloc could still broker... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335945/does-collapse-thailand-cambodia-truce-expose-aseans-limits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335945/does-collapse-thailand-cambodia-truce-expose-aseans-limits?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 01:30:15 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk In a sign that tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have spilled over to other countries, Thais in South Korea have been warned to avoid areas with large Cambodian communities after a bar brawl that left two men injured. Four Thai men were attacked at a karaoke bar in the Mokpo Daebul district in South Jeolla province when they revealed their nationality to a group of around 15 to 20 Cambodian men, The Nation reported. It is not known when the incident happened. The Cambodians reportedly... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335905/thais-attacked-south-korea-conflict-cambodia-spills-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335905/thais-attacked-south-korea-conflict-cambodia-spills-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:21:28 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau In an unprecedented move, Cambodia has withdrawn its entire delegation from the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, citing safety concerns amid renewed border clashes between the two neighbours. The Cambodian team had attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games in Bangkok on Tuesday, but the decision to pull out came a day later amid deadly fighting along the frontier. The Games, which run until December 20, are being held in Bangkok and the Thai provinces of Chonburi and Songkhla. At... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335854/cambodia-pulls-entire-delegation-sea-games-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335854/cambodia-pulls-entire-delegation-sea-games-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 04:58:03 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military positions on Monday after a Thai soldier was killed, pushing a shaky US-brokered truce to the brink of collapse as it vowed to cripple its neighbour’s ability to fight back over the shared frontier. Each side accused the other of shattering the peace by mounting attacks on border bases and personnel over the weekend, in the fiercest eruption of hostilities for months between the Southeast Asian neighbours. The violence has forced thousands of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335559/thailand-launches-air-strikes-cambodia-after-soldier-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335559/thailand-launches-air-strikes-cambodia-after-soldier-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 04:54:48 +0000