After five long months apart, the streets of Phnom Penh transformed into rivers of emotion and national pride. On this New Year’s Eve afternoon, thousands of Cambodians gathered to welcome the 18 soldiers who had just returned from detention in Thailand — a moment that, beyond collective relief, also raises deep questions about the future of relations between Phnom Penh and Bangkok.

A special meeting of the ASEAN foreign ministers, urgently convened on 22 December 2025 in Kuala Lumpur under Malaysian presidency, once again exposed the glaring weaknesses of regional consensus in the face of a border conflict that has already displaced more than 900,000 people and caused dozens of casualties on both sides.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, His Excellency Prak Sokhonn, will attend a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, focused on the escalating situation along the Cambodia–Thailand border.

On November 12, 2025, around 3:50 PM, a dramatic incident occurred in the village of Prey Chan, located in the O’Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province in Cambodia. Thai soldiers opened fire on Cambodian civilians, injuring five people, one of whom unfortunately died.