Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (C), Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet (L) and Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai (R) pose for photos as they shake hands following a press conference after talks on a possible ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia in Putrajaya on July 28, 2025. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / POOL / AFP)
Surin, Thailand: A truce agreement between Thailand and Cambodia came into effect in the early hours of Tuesday, testing whether it will halt five days of open combat that have engulfed their jungle-clad frontier.
Both sides agreed an "unconditional" ceasefire would start at midnight on Monday to end battling over a smattering of ancient temples in disputed zones along their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border.
In the Cambodian city of Samraong -- 20 kilometres from the border -- an AFP journalist heard a steady drumbeat of artillery strikes throughout Monday, before the blast sounds stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight.
Jets, rockets and artillery have killed at least 38 people since Thursday and displaced nearly 300,000 more -- prompting intervention from US President Donald Trump over the weekend.
The flare-up was the deadliest since violence raged sporadically from 2008-2011 over the territory, claimed by both because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia's French colonial administrators in 1907.
The peace deal is set to see military commanders from both sides meet at 07:00am (0000 GMT), before a cross-border committee is convened in Cambodia to further salve tensions on August 4.
"When I heard the news I was so happy because I miss my home and my belongings that I left behind," Phean Neth told AFP on Monday evening at a sprawling camp for Cambodian evacuees on a temple site away from the fighting.
"I am so happy that I can't describe it," said the 45-year-old.
A joint statement from both countries, as well as Malaysia which hosted the peace talks, said the ceasefire was "a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security".
Both sides are courting Trump for trade deals to avert his threat of eye-watering tariffs, and the US State Department said its officials had been "on the ground" to shepherd peace talks.
The joint statement said China also had "active participation" in the talks, hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister and ASEAN bloc chair Anwar Ibrahim in his country's administrative capital Putrajaya.
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet thanked Trump for his "decisive" support, while his counterpart, Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, said it should be "carried out in good faith by both sides".
"If they say they'll stop firing, they must stop completely," said 43-year-old Thai evacuee Prapakarn Samruamjit in the city of Surin.
