ASEAN observer team deployed to monitor escalating Thailand-Cambodia border clashes

THE Government has deployed an ASEAN Observer Team (AOT) to monitor the tense situation along the Thailand-Cambodia border, following renewed clashes between the two neighbours that have displaced hundreds of thousands and left scores dead.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the mission, led by the Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces, will be reinforced by satellite surveillance provided by the United States, aimed at increasing transparency and mitigating further conflict.

The announcement followed separate phone conversations with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, after Anwar’s discussions with US President Donald Trump the previous day.

“In the discussions, I conveyed Malaysia’s serious concern and urged both parties to cease all hostilities and refrain from further military action, including the use of force or deploying armed units to the frontlines, effective from 10:00 pm on 13 December,” Anwar said.

The Prime Minister added that findings from the field and satellite monitoring will be compiled by the AOT and presented at the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 16 December.

“The report will provide an objective overview of the current situation, including the positions of both sides, to serve accountability, confidence-building, and the preservation of regional peace and stability,” he said in a Facebook post.

Anwar emphasised Malaysia’s commitment to work closely with ASEAN partners and the international community to ensure diplomacy, dialogue, and restraint remain the primary tools for resolving the conflict.

Despite these diplomatic efforts, Thai Prime Minister Anutin announced that military operations would continue.

“Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people. I want to make it clear. Our actions this morning already spoke,” he wrote on Facebook.

The Cambodian Ministry of Defence reported that Thai forces used two F-16 fighter jets to drop seven bombs on various targets in Cambodia on 13 December, while naval artillery fired 20 shells from offshore into Koh Kong province, striking hotels and beaches.

Cambodian authorities have not yet reported casualties from these latest attacks.

Saturday marked the sixth consecutive day of fighting along the 800-kilometre Thailand-Cambodia border, following the breakdown of a peace agreement brokered by President Trump in October.

The conflict, centred on disputed centuries-old temple sites, has claimed at least 20 lives, injured nearly 200, and displaced an estimated 600,000 people across both nations.

Trump had earlier claimed to have secured a ceasefire between the two countries, stating on social media that both leaders had agreed to “CEASE all shooting effective this evening” and return to the original peace accord.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin refuted Trump’s claim, asserting on Facebook that a roadside bomb that killed and wounded Thai soldiers was “definitely not an accident,” contradicting Trump’s statement.

The deployment of Malaysia’s ASEAN Observer Team and US satellite monitoring represents an urgent regional effort to bring objectivity, accountability, and diplomatic oversight to one of Southeast Asia’s most volatile flashpoints. - December 13, 2025