Guns talk as diplomats meet: Thailand–Cambodia border erupts despite peace talks

BANGKOK: As diplomats gathered around negotiating tables on Saturday, explosions echoed across the Cambodia–Thailand border, a stark reminder of how distant peace still feels for communities caught in the conflict.

Cambodian officials say Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped four bombs early Saturday on Serei Saophoan in Banteay Meanchey province, a quiet northwestern area where many residents have already fled their homes. The strike followed another attack just a day earlier on Chok Chey village, where Cambodia says 40 bombs fell, leaving houses shattered and basic infrastructure in ruins. While no deaths were reported in that raid, families returned to find their neighbourhoods damaged or unlivable.

Thailand’s military acknowledged Friday’s airstrike, saying it was part of a joint army–air force operation meant to protect Sa Kaeo province, just across the border. Thai Air Force spokesperson Air Marshal Jackkrit Thammavichai said the military acted only after confirming that civilians had been evacuated from the target area, following days of surveillance.

For people living along the border, the latest strikes are another chapter in a long and painful dispute over land that has simmered for decades. Those tensions erupted again in late July, leading to days of fighting before a fragile ceasefire was brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with backing from U.S. President Donald Trump. That agreement unravelled earlier this month, sending both sides back into combat.

Each government says it is acting in self-defence and accuses the other of breaking the truce. “If Cambodia is not sincere about a ceasefire, peace will not be possible,” Jackkrit said, warning that Thailand could expand military operations to defend what it sees as its territory.

Even as bombs fell, military officials from Cambodia and Thailand pressed on with talks for a third straight day on Friday. They met at a remote checkpoint between Cambodia’s Pailin province and Thailand’s Chanthaburi province, hoping to find common ground. Defence ministers from both countries are expected to join the discussions on Saturday, raising cautious hopes that an agreement could still be reached.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand is seeking a 72-hour ceasefire. If it holds, he said, Bangkok would consider returning Cambodian prisoners of war—a key demand from Phnom Penh and a potential confidence-building step.

Behind the political statements and military briefings lies a growing humanitarian toll. Thailand says 26 soldiers and one civilian have been killed in direct combat since Dec 7, with another 44 civilians dying from indirect consequences of the fighting. Cambodia has not released official military casualty figures but says at least 30 civilians have been killed and 90 wounded. On both sides of the border, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes, unsure when—or if—they can safely return.

International pressure is mounting as the violence drags on. Trump said he spoke with both leaders on Dec 12 and claimed they had agreed to revive the ceasefire, though Anutin later disputed that account. This week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet that Washington is ready to help facilitate talks aimed at restoring peace.

For now, border communities remain suspended between fear and hope—listening for the next explosion while watching leaders talk about peace that has yet to arrive.