Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he would speak with US President Donald Trump on Friday (Dec 12) night as heavy border clashes with Cambodia raged for a fifth consecutive day, marking one of the most dangerous escalations between the two neighbours in recent years.
The renewed fighting along the 817km disputed frontier has seen both sides exchange rockets, artillery fire, and machine-gun rounds at multiple hotspots, mirroring the scale of violence seen during a deadly five-day confrontation in July. That earlier conflict was halted only after Trump personally phoned both leaders and pressed them into accepting a US-brokered ceasefire — a fragile truce now on the brink of collapse.
Speaking to reporters, Anutin confirmed he would update Trump on the situation at about 9.20pm Thai time (10.20pm Singapore time). “I think it’s just an update. He would probably ask how things are now,” the Thai leader said, emphasising that decisions on military operations remain “matters for the Thai government”, which has already authorised the armed forces to continue with their planned operations.
Trump has repeatedly signaled his intention to reinsert himself into the crisis, pledging for a third straight day that he would contact both Southeast Asian leaders to halt the violence. In October, he met Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in Malaysia, where the three announced an expanded ceasefire agreement. Hun Manet later nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, highlighting Washington’s outsized role in managing the conflict.
At the Congressional Ball on Thursday, Trump again portrayed himself as a global peacemaker. “I think we are going to have to make a couple of phone calls on Thailand and (Cambodia), but we’ll get that one back on track,” he told attendees, boasting that he had “solved eight wars”. Whether he can revive this faltering truce, however, appears increasingly uncertain.
The clashes have already killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 260, according to figures released by both governments. Each side has accused the other of reigniting the conflict and targeting civilian areas.
Cambodia’s defence ministry on Friday accused Thailand of launching “brutal armed attacks and aggression”, including shelling near ancient temples and firing on what Phnom Penh insists is Cambodian territory. The ministry also said Thailand had deployed armoured vehicles into contested zones, declaring that “the heroic Cambodian forces will continue to stand strong, brave, and steadfast in their ongoing fight against the aggressors”.
Thailand’s military rejected the allegations, insisting its forces were responding to Cambodian incursions. In a statement, it said it had been “compelled to exercise its right to self-defence with the objective of ending the threat and protecting lives and sovereignty”.
Diplomatic prospects remain murky. A senior adviser to Hun Manet told Reuters earlier this week that Cambodia was “ready at any time” for talks. Thailand, however, has rejected mediation efforts, arguing that Phnom Penh must first demonstrate “sincerity” before negotiations can proceed.
On Friday, the Thai foreign ministry said its top diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow had spoken with US counterpart Marco Rubio, reaffirming Bangkok’s commitment to peace while warning of Cambodia’s “repeated and escalating patterns of attacks”.
Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona said he was not aware of any scheduled call between Hun Manet and Trump but added, “Normally, our PM is always ready to talk.”
Even as Thai troops exchange fire across the border, Anutin’s government faces political turmoil at home. Hours before confirming his call with Trump, the prime minister dissolved parliament to avoid a looming no-confidence motion amid heated debates over constitutional amendments. The decision sets the stage for an election in February, injecting fresh uncertainty into a country already struggling with economic stagnation and now a cross-border conflict.
Analysts say the power vacuum and caretaker status of the government could complicate efforts to reach a durable ceasefire — particularly as Anutin has given his armed forces broad autonomy to execute operations aimed at degrading Cambodia’s military capabilities.
“He has backed the army fully,” one Bangkok-based security expert noted. “That limits political flexibility at a moment when diplomacy is urgently needed.”
The border violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Thailand and Cambodia, forcing families to flee to makeshift shelters as artillery shells continue to land near villages and towns.
In Surin province on the Thai side of the border, evacuees huddled around campfires early on Friday, expressing mounting frustration and fatigue. Many said they had fled clashes multiple times over the years, with little confidence that leaders on either side would resolve the underlying territorial dispute.
“There’s no certainty,” said 60-year-old Yod Lengtharmdee, who has been displaced repeatedly. “The government has never cared about solving the border conflict anyway. I’ve always had to flee from the clashes a number of times.”
