Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet will meet in Malaysia on July 28, 2025, to negotiate a ceasefire for a deadly border dispute that began on July 24, 2025. The conflict, centered around the contested Ta Muen Thom temple and other border areas, has killed at least 34 people (21 Thai, mostly civilians, and 13 Cambodian) and displaced over 168,000 (131,000 in Thailand, 37,000 in Cambodia). Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as ASEAN chair, invited the leaders to discuss peace efforts following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade agreements if hostilities continued. Both sides have agreed in principle to a ceasefire, with Cambodia pushing for an “immediate and unconditional” one, while Thailand insists on Cambodia’s “sincere intention” and formal negotiations, citing ongoing Cambodian artillery and rocket attacks on Thai territory, including civilian homes in Surin province. Despite diplomatic efforts, fighting persisted on July 27, with both nations trading blame for renewed shelling and troop movements. The dispute, rooted in a century-old border disagreement from French colonial mapping, was reignited in May 2025 after a Cambodian soldier’s death and escalated after a landmine incident wounded Thai soldiers.
