One Trump Ceasefire is Already Starting to Fray
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Pointing towards roughly-built houses cut off behind coils of shiny new razor wire, weeping Cambodian villagers complained that Thai soldiers had evicted them from front line homes despite a ceasefire agreed under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
One Thai official described the claim as "fake news". Thailand meanwhile alleges that its soldiers have been wounded by newly-placed land mines.
The allegations by both Southeast Asian countries are putting strain on a ceasefire for which Cambodia — its army heavily outgunned by Thailand's much larger and better equipped forces — has become the latest country to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
"We want to show the international community how the Thai government violated the ceasefire by putting the barbed wire and pushing the people back from the border," Banthey Meanchey Province Governor Oum Reatrey told Newsweek during a media visit to the front line set up by the authorities.
"We never planted new mines and we never violated the ceasefire agreement and we want to keep the area calm here," he said at the Prey Chan commune.
Newsweek sought comment from the Thai Army and the U.S. State Department.
Why It Matters
If the ceasefire falls apart, it could lead to a resumption of fighting in which dozens of people have already been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced across the two countries.
It would also be a blow for Trump's peacemaking credentials as he also seeks to bring about an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine and to secure peace in the Middle East amid Israel's ongoing war with Hamas and other Iranian proxy forces as well as its confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program.
Cambodian soldier surveys barbed wire alledgly placed by Thai soldiers that cuts Cambodian villagers from their homes at Prey Chan, Cambodia on August 15, 2025.
Cambodian soldier surveys barbed wire alledgly placed by Thai soldiers that cuts Cambodian villagers from their homes at Prey Chan, Cambodia on August 15, 2025.
Matthew Tostevin
What To Know
Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia erupted over five days in late July after months of rising tensions over a border dispute dating from the colonial era in a remote region of rice farms and ancient Khmer-Hindu era temples. The skirmishes ended after Trump called both sides and used tariffs to pressure them to stop.
Cambodians say that the Thai soldiers forced dozens of Cambodian residents from their homes in two locations on August 13 and erected barbed wire despite the ceasefire that stopped fighting on July 28 and a more detailed subsequent agreement.
Five-year-old Cambodian Mesa waits with her grandmother on August 15, 2025 at Prey Chan after the family said they were evicted from their homes by Thai soldiers despite a ceasefire.
Five-year-old Cambodian Mesa waits with her grandmother on August 15, 2025 at Prey Chan after the family said they were evicted from their homes by Thai soldiers despite a ceasefire.
Matthew Tostevin
"The Thai soldiers just told me to get out of the house and I said I need to take my belongings but they forced me out and put the barbed wire," wept Hul Malis, a 52-year-old woman at Prey Chan. "Right now I just want to go back to my house and get back what I had before."
Thailand has rejected the accusations of violating the ceasefire over the placement of barbed wire. In its turn, it said it was protesting against what it alleged was the Cambodian use of land mines which had wounded soldiers on August 9 and 12.
Its foreign ministry alleged in a statement that this: "reflects Cambodia's lack of good faith and contravenes the ceasefire agreement finalized by both sides."
What People Are Saying
Cambodian State Secretariat of Border Affairs: "The Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary - JBC (Cambodian side) would like to reiterate its protest against the Thai military's encroachment activities and demand the Thai side to immediately cease and remove the barbed wire, nets, barricade, and vehicle tires, and to take any appropriate measures to prevent further violations of similar nature along the border between the two countries."
Royal Thai Army: "The Royal Thai Army calls upon Cambodia to respect the ceasefire agreement, fully comply with the 13-point agreement, and strictly adhere to the principles of international law. Throughout this period, it has been found that the Cambodian side has been continuously committing violations.
What Happens Next
In addition to the accusations of ceasefire violations and military buildups on both sides, rumors of potential Thai attacks have repeatedly set people fleeing on the Cambodian side. Even if there is no further open clash, the situation is likely to remain tense before confidence can be rebuilt.
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