Thailand, Cambodia agree on ‘immediate ceasefire’ after weeks of deadly border clashes

The clashes were re-ignited in early December

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire on Saturday, putting an end to weeks of deadly border clashes.

The development was confirmed by the defence ministers of both the countries through a joint statement. "Both sides agree to maintain current troop deployments without further movement," their defence ministers said in a joint statement on the ceasefire, to take effect at noon (0500 GMT).

"Any reinforcement would heighten tensions and negatively affect long-term efforts to resolve the situation," according to the statement released on social media by Cambodia's defence ministry.

The agreement, signed by Thai defence minister Natthaphon Nakrphanit and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha, brought an end to 20 days of fighting that left at least 101 people dead and displaced over half a million on both sides.

The clashes were re-ignited in early December after a breakdown in a ceasefire that US President Donald Trump had helped broker to halt a previous round of fighting in July.

For over a century, Thailand and Cambodia have clashed over sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817-km shared border, with tensions occasionally erupting into violence. Natthaphon said the latest ceasefire would be overseen by Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) observers and backed by direct coordination between the two sides.

"At the same time, at the policy level, there will be direct communication between the minister of defence and chief of the armed forces of both sides," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Simmering tensions between the two countries came to a head in July this year, when the neighbours clashed for five days along some parts of the frontier, leaving at least 48 people dead and 300,000 displaced before Trump intervened to bring about a truce.

That ceasefire broke down in early December with the two sides accusing each other of moves that led to clashes.