BANGKOK, Nov. 11, 2025 — Thailand threatened Monday to suspend a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Cambodia after a land mine explosion along their volatile border injured four Thai soldiers.
The two Southeast Asian neighbors signed the truce last month following territorial clashes in late July that lasted five days and left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead. Despite the agreement, tensions have continued, and sporadic land mine explosions before and after the conflict have caused further casualties.
According to the Royal Thai Army, Monday’s blast occurred during a routine patrol in Sisaket province, near the Cambodian border. One sergeant lost his right foot after stepping on a land mine, while three other soldiers sustained minor injuries from shrapnel and the impact of the explosion.
The army accused Cambodia of laying new land mines in violation of the ceasefire, an allegation Phnom Penh strongly denied. Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the mines were remnants from past conflicts and emphasized that the government “remains committed to implementing the Joint Declaration, which was signed amidst much applaud from the international community.”
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul condemned the incident, saying it showed that “hostility towards our national security has not decreased as we thought it would.” He announced that all actions under the truce agreement would be suspended until Thailand’s demands were met, though he did not specify what those demands were.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Thailand was to release 18 Cambodian soldiers captured during the July clashes. Both countries also agreed to remove heavy weapons and clear land mines from the disputed border area.
Thai Defense Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit confirmed that Thailand would postpone the release of the Cambodian soldiers, which had been scheduled for later this week.
While both sides have reported some progress in disarmament efforts, Thailand accuses Cambodia of obstructing mine-clearing operations. Cambodia, however, maintains that it is fully committed to the agreement and urged Thailand to release its detained soldiers as soon as possible.
The ceasefire was initially mediated by Malaysia, with then-U.S. President Donald Trump later pressuring both nations to finalize the truce by threatening to withhold trade privileges. The deal was signed during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in October.
