After months of tension and intense diplomatic efforts, 18 Cambodian soldiers detained in Thailand were finally released and welcomed home, a historic moment that has generated a powerful sense of relief and renewed hope among Cambodians nationwide.

Thailand has finally released 18 Cambodian soldiers captured during intense border clashes in July 2025, marking a pivotal step toward de-escalating longstanding tensions between the two nations. This humanitarian gesture comes after months of diplomatic wrangling, fragile ceasefires, and mutual accusations, bringing relief to families and easing regional anxieties.

As of this evening, Thailand has still not released the 18 Cambodian soldiers captured on July 29 during border clashes, despite the expiration of the 72-hour ceasefire stipulated in the bilateral agreement signed on December 27.

Le gouvernement cambodgien se prépare à accueillir, dès demain midi, les 18 soldats cambodgiens détenus depuis plus de cinq mois par l’armée thaïlandaise, a confirmé le vice-Premier ministre et ministre des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération internationale, H.E. Prak Sokhonn.

In the steep cliffs of the Dangrek Mountains in Preah Vihear province in northern Cambodia, there is far more than an ancient Khmer temple listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beneath its rugged terrain, deposits of gold, iron, copper, and precious stones have fueled decades of desire and tension.

It’s a breath of hope sweeping across the region today. After several weeks of deadly clashes around the disputed border between Cambodia and Thailand, the two countries have signed a new ceasefire agreement, effective since noon on 27 December 2025.

The Thailand and Cambodia signed an immediate cease-fire on December 27, 2025 along their contested border, bringing a provisional end to three weeks of bloody confrontations that left at least 47 dead and nearly a million civilians displaced on both sides.

The UN has a comprehensive set of mediation mechanisms to intervene peacefully between Cambodia and Thailand, based on the United Nations Charter (Chapters VI and VII), in order to prevent the escalation of the 2025 border conflict around Preah Vihear and other disputed areas.

Thai forces intensified their military operations on Monday, December 22, by penetrating deep into Cambodian territory with F-16 fighter jets, bombing civilian sectors in the provinces of Siem Reap, Preah Vihear, and Banteay Meanchey.

To answer a question posed by a reader, here are a few clarifications about the possibility and unlikelihood of seeing UN peacekeepers (Blue Helmets) in Cambodia. As a reminder, the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, revived in 2025, pits the two neighbors in a deadly escalation marked by artillery fire, air strikes, and thousands of displaced people

China has dispatched a special envoy to Phnom Penh in a bid to help de-escalate mounting tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, where recent border clashes have alarmed the region. His Excellency Deng Xijun, Special Envoy for Asian Affairs from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Cambodia on December 19 to undertake sensitive diplomatic talks aimed at restoring peace and reviving political dialogue between the two Southeast Asian neighbors.

The border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand remains volatile, more than two weeks after hostilities renewed, with sporadic clashes continuing despite repeated calls for de-escalation. Both governments accuse each other of violating previous cease-fires, while the international community struggles to secure a lasting peace.

While the border crisis drags on, Thailand is relying on an unexpected outsider: Israel. With advanced drones, high-tech howitzers, and anti-drone defenses, Tel Aviv is becoming a driving force in Thailand’s military modernization, creating a strategic partnership that challenges the influence of major defense powers.

In the Cambodian lands of laterite and rice fields, an expatriate, rooted here for ten years, watches with alarm the peril of a border conflict with Thailand. In Kampot, rocked by the river and green pepper, the sound of weapons shakes the harmony of a region united by culture and history.

Dix jours après la reprise des hostilités le 7 décembre, le conflit armé entre le Cambodge et la Thaïlande s’enlise et s’intensifie, transformant une vieille querelle frontalière en crise régionale majeure. Les combats, concentrés le long de la frontière terrestre mais désormais étendus jusqu’aux infrastructures intérieures, ont déjà fait au moins 27 morts, dont 13 Cambodgiens, et déplacé près de 800 000 personnes des deux côtés.​

At the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) in Phnom Penh, art and faith came together this week as students, faculty and staff held a solemn prayer event dedicated to Cambodian soldiers standing firm on a volatile border.

Thai military forces intensified operations on Saturday, December 13, 2025, launching multiple airstrikes on Cambodian soil in what marks a serious escalation along the contested border, just hours after a new ceasefire was announced under U.S. mediation.

As the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia intensifies, a generation of young people on both sides finds itself caught between nationalism, digital propaganda and a deep longing for peace. For many youths, the war is no longer a distant political dispute: it is lived daily through social media feeds, disrupted friendships, and uncertain futures.

The confrontation between Thailand and Cambodia has shifted from the border trenches to the world’s screens and news feeds. As deadly exchanges of fire continue along their disputed frontier, Bangkok has crafted an influential communication strategy in which disinformation, rapid responses, and privileged access to global media outlets are deployed as strategic tools.

Thailand has long cultivated a flexible foreign policy often described as “bamboo diplomacy” — bending with geopolitical winds without breaking ties. In 2025, this approach is again at the heart of Bangkok’s efforts to navigate increasingly intense competition between China and the United States, while preserving its strategic autonomy.

Between the evening of December 10 and December 11, 2025, Cambodia’s northwest border was engulfed in fire and devastation, leaving behind heavy human and emotional tolls.

As tensions flare again between Cambodia and Thailand, UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — has voiced serious concern about the situation, especially regarding the Preah Vihear Temple, a priceless World Heritage site and centuries-old testament to Khmer civilization.

The Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, has voiced deep concern over the renewed armed clashes between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand along their shared border.

In the past 48 hours, fighting along the Thai–Cambodian border has surged again, with Thai air strikes and bombardments targeting Cambodian military positions — but also hitting civilian areas, triggering a massive displacement of people.