Thailand on Tuesday (Dec 23) rejected a Cambodian request to move planned bilateral talks to a neutral country, raising fresh uncertainty over negotiations aimed at ending the deadliest flare-up in years along their disputed border.
The talks, scheduled to take place this week under the framework of the General Border Committee (GBC), were intended to negotiate terms for a new truce after fighting reignited earlier this month. Cambodia had asked that the meeting be shifted from Thailand to Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, citing security concerns amid ongoing clashes. Bangkok, however, insisted the meeting would proceed as planned in Thailand’s eastern Chanthaburi province.
“We guarantee Chanthaburi is safe. This province is the original plan for hosting the GBC even before the fighting started,” Thai defence ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri told reporters on Tuesday. He said officials were expected to meet from Wednesday through Saturday, adding that whether the talks ultimately took place now depended on Cambodia’s participation.
A Cambodian government spokesman said he had no updated information on the venue, underscoring the uncertainty hanging over the negotiations at a time when violence along the frontier continues.
The latest escalation has shattered an earlier truce and revived a long-running territorial dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbours. Officials from both sides say more than 40 people have been killed since the fighting resumed, with over 900,000 civilians displaced on both sides of the border. Villages have been evacuated, schools shut and emergency shelters set up as artillery fire and air strikes have hit areas near the frontier.
The conflict stems from competing claims over the demarcation of their roughly 800-kilometre border, much of it drawn during the colonial era. The frontier is dotted with ancient temple ruins, some of which sit in contested zones and have repeatedly been flashpoints for confrontation. Each side has accused the other of instigating the latest round of fighting, which began on Dec 7, and of targeting civilians.
Cambodia’s request for a neutral venue was formally conveyed in a letter from Defence Minister Tea Seiha to his Thai counterpart, Nattaphon Narkphanit. In the letter, obtained by AFP, Tea Seiha argued that “due to the ongoing fighting along the border, this meeting should be held in a safe and neutral venue,” proposing Kuala Lumpur as the location.
Thailand rejected that reasoning. Nattaphon told journalists that the last GBC meeting had been held in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, making it Thailand’s turn to host. He also dismissed safety concerns, saying Thailand was capable of separating military operations from diplomatic engagement.
“There is nothing to fear,” he said, stressing that Chanthaburi was far from the most intense fighting and well equipped to host the talks. At the same time, he struck a hard line on the battlefield, warning that Thai forces would continue operations as long as Cambodian troops did the same.
So far, fighting has stretched along nearly the entire border, according to Thai officials, though clashes have eased in parts of two provinces. Cambodia, however, accused Thai forces of escalating attacks on Tuesday, alleging shelling of the border city of Poipet and air strikes on areas of Preah Vihear province. Thailand has previously denied targeting civilians and blamed Cambodia for provoking the violence.
The renewed conflict follows a fragile ceasefire brokered earlier this year with the help of the United States, China and Malaysia. That truce ended a five-day bout of fighting in July that also killed dozens, but it proved short-lived. Despite diplomatic efforts, both sides accuse the other of repeated violations and of using the lull to reposition forces.
Regional diplomacy has intensified in recent days as concerns grow over the humanitarian impact and the risk of wider instability. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow announced the planned talks on Monday after a crisis meeting in Kuala Lumpur with counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which both Thailand and Cambodia are members. ASEAN has traditionally favoured dialogue and consensus but has limited mechanisms to enforce ceasefires between member states.
Malaysia, which has played a mediating role in the past, was seen by Cambodia as a neutral and acceptable venue. Thailand’s refusal to relocate the talks, analysts say, reflects Bangkok’s desire to assert its position and avoid any perception of internationalising what it views as a bilateral issue.
The dispute has also drawn commentary from the United States. In October, US President Donald Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, highlighting prospective trade deals after the two sides agreed in Kuala Lumpur to extend their truce. Thailand later suspended that agreement the following month as fighting resumed.
On Monday, Trump again referred to the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, describing it as one of several global disputes he claimed to have “solved.” Speaking to journalists in Florida, he acknowledged that fighting had restarted but expressed confidence it could be stopped. “Thailand is starting to shape up. You know, they started with Cambodia, they started up again,” he said. “But I think … we have that in pretty good shape, to have that stopped.”
For now, however, the prospects for renewed peace talks remain uncertain. With Bangkok standing firm on hosting the meeting and Phnom Penh yet to confirm its participation, diplomats warn that delays could allow the fighting to intensify further, deepening a humanitarian crisis and complicating efforts to revive a durable ceasefire along one of Southeast Asia’s most volatile borders.
