Cambodia-Thailand Ceasefire Holds as Most Evacuees Return Home

Following a late December ceasefire, the majority of Cambodians displaced by border clashes with Thailand have returned home, though over 200,000 remain in camps. Cambodia has re-proposed a special border demarcation meeting with Thailand for January 2026 in Siem Reap province. The meeting aims to address territorial violations and survey works after Thailand postponed an earlier request. The ceasefire agreement, signed by both nations' defence ministers, ended weeks of intense fighting that included airstrikes and artillery exchanges.

Key Points: Cambodia-Thailand Border Ceasefire, Evacuees Return

  • 68.4% of Cambodian evacuees have returned
  • Ceasefire agreed on Dec 27, 2025 ended 20 days of fighting
  • Cambodia re-proposes January border meeting in Siem Reap
  • Conflict caused at least 101 casualties and major displacement
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Most of Cambodian evacuees return home after ceasefire truce with Thailand

Over 440,000 Cambodian evacuees return home after Dec 2025 ceasefire. Border talks proposed for January 2026 to address demarcation.

"Roughly 204,844 people... remain in displacement camps - Touch Sokhak"

Phnom Penh, Jan 6

Some 68.4 per cent of the Cambodian evacuees from a recent border conflict with Thailand have returned to their homes so far, Cambodia's Interior Ministry Spokesperson Touch Sokhak said on Tuesday.

Sokhak said that about 444,179 out of 649,023 Cambodian evacuees have returned to their homes.

"Roughly 204,844 people, including 108,466 women and 66,892 children, remain in displacement camps," he said in a press briefing.

Cambodia and Thailand agreed to an immediate ceasefire on December 27, 2025, after three weeks of armed conflict that caused casualties on both sides, Xinhua news agency reported.

Cambodia on Monday re-proposed to Thailand to convene a special meeting on border demarcation in the second or third week of January in Cambodia's Siem Reap province, said a press release from Cambodia's State Secretariat of Border Affairs.

The Cambodian side has once again requested the Thai side, through a Note Verbale dated January 5, 2026, to convene a special meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission in the second or third week of January 2026 in Siem Reap province, it said.

The re-proposed meeting aims to discuss the survey and demarcation works, as well as address the issue that Thai military forces have been conducting activities violating Cambodia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, the press release said.

The re-proposed meeting was made after the Thai side postponed Cambodia's earlier request for the meeting in the first week of January 2026 in Siem Reap province, citing the reasons of waiting for internal procedures and the ongoing presence of landmines in border areas.

Thailand and Cambodia ​agreed on December 27, 2025 to halt ‌weeks of fierce ​border clashes, the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian countries that has included fighter jets sorties, exchange of rocket fire and artillery barrages.

The agreement, signed by Thai Defence Minister Natthaphon Nakrphanit ‍and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha, ended 20 days of fighting that had killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul R
More than 200,000 people still in camps... that's a huge number. The ceasefire is good but the real work of resettlement and rebuilding lives is just beginning. The international community needs to step up aid.
A
Arun Y
Reading this makes me appreciate the relative stability we have on our borders. Border disputes are so complex and destructive. A lesson for all nations to resolve issues through dialogue, not force. Thailand and Cambodia must continue talking.
S
Sarah B
The casualty numbers are staggering. Over 100 lives lost and half a million displaced in just 20 days. It shows how quickly things can spiral. The proposed meeting is crucial, but Thailand's reason for postponing (landmines) seems like a serious practical concern too.
V
Vikram M
ASEAN's role here seems muted. As a regional bloc, they should be more proactive in mediating such conflicts before they escalate to this level. Hope the demarcation talks are successful and based on historical facts, not aggression.
K
Kiran H
While the ceasefire is positive, the article mentions Cambodia accusing Thai forces of violating sovereignty. This trust deficit will be the biggest hurdle. The meeting needs transparent terms of reference. Wishing peace for our Southeast Asian neighbours.

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