Trump Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire under threat as Thai forces occupy territory

FIRST ON FOX: President last year Donald Trump He took a victory lap by mediating a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.

“Who else would say, ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop the war between two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia’?” he said.

That agreement now appears strained, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet telling Fox News Digital that Thai forces are advancing into long-held Cambodian territory beyond the conflict line. Thai soldiers have blocked villages with barbed wire and shipping containers, leaving 80,000 Cambodian locals unable to return to their homes, according to Cambodian officials.

“The occupation is excessive Thailand’s unilateral claimManet said: “Most of the peasants cannot return to their homeland.”

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Cambodia and Thailand have disputed for decades over parts of their 500-mile land border, much of which was drawn during the French colonial era and later interpreted differently by Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The conflict has periodically escalated into armed clashes, especially in areas near historic Khmer temple sites and in rural villages where the border has not yet been determined.

Tensions escalated again last year, with clashes breaking out in disputed areas of the border and displacing thousands of civilians on both sides. The clashes led to diplomatic intervention and resulted in a ceasefire agreement with US participation during the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Images and local reports of the latest clashes show damage to structures near the border, including the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex; cultural heritage sites Caught in disputed areas. Cambodian officials blamed Thai forces for the damage, while Thai officials denied that religious or cultural symbols were deliberately targeted, saying military operations were limited to disputed security areas.

The Thai embassy could not be reached for comment on this interview.

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Yet Manet refused to threaten military retaliation. “Our position is always to adhere to peaceful solutions,” he said. “We do not believe that using war to stop war is sustainable or practical.”

With a population of more than 70 million (roughly four times Cambodia’s 17 million), Thailand has a significantly larger and better-equipped military, increasing the risk of any new conflict.

Manet traveled to Washington this week for the inaugural meeting of the Trump Peace Board, as conflict again threatens fragile stability along the border.

“The Peace Board can play an active role in promoting peace, stability and normalcy between Cambodia and Thailand,” he said.

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Hun Manet took office in 2023, replacing his father Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for nearly forty years. The leadership transition was the first formal transfer of power in decades; but the ruling Cambodian People’s Party has maintained tight control over the country’s political system in the face of long-standing criticism from rights groups for limiting opposition activities.

Manet, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has sought to maintain close relations with China while cautiously reopening channels with Washington, including the resumption of joint military exercises suspended in 2017.

While Cambodia maintains tensions with Thailand, it is also balancing relations between Washington and Beijing.

A general view of the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site located on the border of Thailand and Cambodia; Cluster munitions, unexploded artillery shells and other munitions are marked around temple grounds in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, following clashes between the two countries here, Feb. 12, 2026. (Soviet Thread/Reuters)

Manet said maintaining relations with rival world powers “does not have to be an all-out game” and that, as a smaller country, Cambodia cannot afford to “pick one country over another”.

This balance is partly centered on Ream Naval Base, a strategic facility on Cambodia’s southern coast that was rebuilt with Chinese financing.

USS Cincinnati She docked at Ream in late January; this was the first US warship visit since the base was renovated with Chinese financing and technical support. The visit was marked by a striking visual: USS Cincinnati docked about 150 meters from a Chinese naval ship already docked at the base. For years, U.S. officials have expressed concern that Cambodia was granting special access to China.

However, Manet insisted that the base remain under Cambodian control. “Our Constitution says foreign military bases are prohibited [can] “It will be located on Cambodian territory.”

Images and local reports of the latest clashes show damage to structures near the border, including the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex; cultural heritage sites Caught in disputed areas. (Soviet Thread/Reuters)

Manet said that progress in relations with rival world powers “does not have to be an all-out game” and that, as a smaller country, Cambodia “cannot afford to choose one country over another.” This balance centered in part on the Ream Naval Base, a strategic facility on Cambodia’s southern coast that was rebuilt with Chinese financing. (Samrang Pring/Reuters)

He said the US visit “clearly shows that Cambodia is not just used as a trading centre”. Naval base for cooperation with China“

Manet also confirmed that annual US-Cambodia military exercises known as Angkor Sentinel, which were suspended in 2017, will continue this year; This signals that defensive ties are warming. “We hope to expand cooperation with the USA”

In recent years, Cambodia has become the center of large-scale online fraud operations, including so-called “pork butchering” schemes that defraud victims worldwide, including Americans, of billions of dollars. U.S. authorities have sanctioned Cambodia-linked entities linked to crypto scams and pressured Phnom Penh to intensify enforcement efforts due to concerns about smuggling and forced labor linked to some compounds.

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Manet said his government has increased cooperation with U.S. authorities and recently worked with the FBI to dismantle a major operation.

“We recently worked with the FBI to solve a major case involving one of the Oknyaks,” he said, referring to an influential Cambodian figure. “We arrested him and closed down one of the major compounds.”