Thailand and Cambodia to hold GBC military talks in Chanthaburi amid calls for ceasefire

Thailand and Cambodia are set to hold critical military talks under the General Border Committee (GBC) framework on Wednesday, 24 December 2025, in Chanthaburi province.

The talks aim to address a potential ceasefire and de-escalation measures, following months of growing tension along their 800-kilometre shared border.

The decision to proceed with the GBC meeting was reached after both sides failed to secure a ceasefire during a special ASEAN foreign ministers’ summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said the GBC session will be conducted directly between Thai and Cambodian military representatives. There will be no third-party mediation.

He explained that the meeting would consider how a ceasefire could be implemented, what mechanisms would be required, and how compliance would be monitored.

Sihasak stressed that Thailand’s position remains that meaningful negotiations must occur first and that any ceasefire must be backed by tangible, verifiable steps.

“Since the outbreak of the Thai–Cambodian border incident, we have sought to resolve the issue through bilateral mechanisms,” Sihasak said.

He added that Cambodia had tried to internationalise the dispute by involving the United Nations, instead of relying on the established GBC platform for bilateral resolution.

Despite Cambodia’s public expressions of support for a ceasefire, Sihasak noted that no formal proposal had been presented directly to Thailand. This led Thai officials to call for immediate direct military dialogue.

The GBC, co-chaired by the defence ministers of both countries, is the principal high-level bilateral mechanism for managing border security and maintaining peace.

According to a Thai Foreign Ministry statement, the Wednesday talks will include discussions on ceasefire implementation, detailed verification procedures, and responsibility-sharing in monitoring compliance.

The location of the meeting briefly became a point of contention earlier this week.

On Tuesday, according to NationThailand, a senior Thai security source confirmed that Thailand had rejected a Cambodian request to relocate the talks from Chanthaburi to Kuala Lumpur.

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha had written to Thai Defence Minister Gen Nattaphon Narkphanit, requesting that the meeting be held in a "safe and neutral venue" due to ongoing clashes.

“For security reasons, due to the ongoing fighting along the border, this meeting should be held in a safe and neutral venue,” Tea Seiha wrote in a letter dated 22 December, which was quoted by Agence France-Presse.

The request was conveyed officially through the Cambodian GBC secretary but was promptly declined by Thailand, which reaffirmed that the talks would go ahead in Ban Laem district, Chanthaburi.

The refusal reflects Thailand’s insistence on keeping the dispute within bilateral frameworks and avoiding external mediation, in line with its broader diplomatic stance.

The GBC meeting comes just two days after a high-level ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, where regional foreign ministers issued a strong joint communiqué calling for an immediate end to hostilities.

The statement urged both nations to exercise maximum restraint, cease armed conflict in all forms, and return to dialogue within ASEAN mechanisms.

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, chairing the summit, expressed regret over the prolonged conflict and its humanitarian impact, including civilian casualties and displacement.

The United States also released a statement welcoming ASEAN’s efforts and calling on both countries to honour their commitments under the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords.