Calm prevailed along the Cambodia–Thailand border for a second straight day on Sunday after a ceasefire agreement brought an end to nearly three weeks of deadly fighting, officials from both countries said.

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that frontline conditions have remained stable since the ceasefire took effect at noon on Saturday. Spokeswoman Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata told a news briefing that no new clashes had been reported, according to state-run Agence Kampuchea Presse.

The Thai military also said hostilities had subsided, though limited troop movements were observed in some areas, Thai media outlet Khaosod reported.

The ceasefire agreement, signed on Saturday, halted almost 20 days of clashes along the disputed border that left dozens dead and forced nearly one million civilians to flee their homes. Under the deal, both sides committed to an immediate cessation of hostilities involving all types of weapons and agreed to avoid unprovoked fire, troop advances, or movements toward each other’s positions.

The agreement also calls for both countries to maintain current troop levels and refrain from deploying reinforcements along the border in an effort to prevent further escalation. Thailand has additionally pledged to return 18 Cambodian soldiers held in its custody since July, once the ceasefire has been fully observed for 72 hours.

Diplomatic efforts are set to continue, with the foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia expected to meet on Monday during a tripartite meeting hosted by China in Yunnan province.

The latest round of violence erupted on Dec. 8, a day after a border skirmish wounded two Thai soldiers. Since then, around 99 people have been killed. Thai authorities reported the deaths of 26 Thai soldiers and one civilian, along with 41 other civilian fatalities attributed to “collateral effects” of the fighting. Cambodia’s Interior Ministry said 31 Cambodian civilians were killed.

Thailand and Cambodia have a long-standing border dispute that has periodically flared into violence. In July, clashes along the same frontier killed at least 48 people, underscoring the fragility of peace efforts in the area.

BOB Post