Thai sets demands for ceasefire talks with Cambodia ahead of Dec 27 meeting

Thailand’s military has said ceasefire talks with Cambodia will begin on Wednesday, 24 December, as the two sides seek to end weeks of deadly clashes along their shared border.

The discussions are expected to conclude with a meeting of the two countries’ defence ministers on 27 December, provided preliminary talks resolve key technical issues.

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Defence, the talks will start at 4 pm Bangkok time in Chanthaburi province, which borders Cambodia. The location reflects Thailand’s role as host for this round of bilateral negotiations.

The ministry said secretariat-level discussions would focus on technical frameworks, including troop deployments and operational arrangements needed to support a ceasefire.

If no agreement is reached on these frameworks, Thailand will not proceed with the General Border Committee meeting or sign any agreement on 27 December, the ministry said.

The talks will be the first bilateral dialogue since clashes erupted on 7 December, shattering a fragile calm that followed an earlier ceasefire in July.

At least 44 people have been killed since fighting resumed, while more than half a million civilians have been displaced on both sides of the roughly 800-kilometre border, according to Thai authorities.

Five days of clashes in July ended with an initial ceasefire agreement mediated by Malaysia and US President Donald Trump, but hostilities later flared again in disputed areas.

A Thai defence ministry spokesman said on Wednesday that fighting had continued in parts of eastern and northeastern Thailand bordering Cambodia, as both sides attempted to assert territorial control.

One Thai soldier was killed in clashes on Tuesday, bringing the military death toll to 22, he said. Civilian deaths on the Thai side have risen to 41.

About 150,000 Thai civilians have been displaced and moved into temporary shelters, according to official figures. Cambodian authorities have reported significant displacement on their side as well.

Thai demands for ceasefire talks

Thailand’s military said it will raise the following issues during the ceasefire discussions:

• The alleged use of anti-personnel landmines

• The use of historical or cultural sites as military positions

• The firing of heavy weapons from within civilian communities

• The use of civilian buildings as military positions or weapons storage facilities

Both sides have denied deliberately targeting civilians, maintaining that military operations are directed solely at opposing forces.

Separately, the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority condemned what it described as Thailand’s military aggression and a campaign of misinformation, according to a report by the Khmer Times.

Thai authorities rejected the accusation, saying they had documented and publicly presented photographic evidence of anti-personnel landmines found along the border.

The military said some of the devices were concealed in vegetation and appeared to be rigged as booby traps, indicating deliberate deployment.

Thai officials said such use of landmines would constitute a violation of the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use, stockpiling and deployment of anti-personnel mines.

Cambodia had proposed holding the meetings in Kuala Lumpur, but Thailand rejected the request, defence ministry spokesman Surasant Kongsiri told Bloomberg News earlier.

The two sides traditionally take turns hosting meetings of the General Border Committee. The previous meeting was held in September in Koh Kong province, Cambodia.

Thai officials said hosting the talks in Chanthaburi was consistent with established practice and underlined the urgency of resolving the latest escalation.