No peace without precision: The Thai-Cambodian GBC must begin to resolve all nagging issues — Phar Kim Beng

Malay Mail

a day ago

AUG 6 — The ceasefire signed in Putrajaya on July 28, 2025, between Thailand and Cambodia was hailed as a major diplomatic breakthrough. However, beneath its polished language lies a fragile framework that will collapse unless the General Border Committee (GBC), currently in session in Kuala Lumpur, addresses a series of unresolved tensions with urgency and clarity.
Foremost among these is the unanswered question of who will monitor the withdrawal of troops and prevent any new deployments in contested zones. Without a trusted and neutral third party, such promises are easily broken and impossible to verify. The current peace monitors from Malaysia, China, Japan, and the United States may not be sufficient, especially given the sheer scale of the 817-kilometre border and the twelve flashpoints where conflict flared between July 24 and July 28.
For a true cessation of hostilities, troop movements on both sides must be entirely frozen. Strategic repositioning or subtle encroachments during ceasefire periods will only sow the seeds of renewed conflict. This makes real-time, ground-level surveillance indispensable.
At the same time, the agreement is conspicuously silent on one vital front: the role of hyper-nationalist media in inflaming tensions. Without explicit commitments from both governments to rein in incendiary reporting, especially narratives that frame the conflict as a patriotic defence of ancestral lands, the peace process remains at risk of being sabotaged by the very public it hopes to protect.
Another danger lies in the control over land vacated during the ceasefire. No territory evacuated should be reoccupied, sabotaged, or booby-trapped. Such actions, often driven by fear of losing fertile territory, would turn confidence-building measures into acts of provocation.
Malaysia, as the host and Asean Chair, bears a disproportionate share of the enforcement burden. Yet without full access to the military doctrines, operational maps, and rules of engagement from both Thailand and Cambodia, Malaysia's Armed Forces risk stepping into a volatile situation unprepared.
Trust cannot be one-sided; full transparency must accompany regional trust-building.
Equally important is the symbolic authority of both monarchies. In Thailand and Cambodia, the words of kings matter.
An attaché talks with people next to foreign military attaches from major powers and Asean member countries, and a Thai military personnel, during a visit to a shelter for displaced people in Sisaket province on August 1, 2025. — Reuters pic
A formal and public endorsement of the ceasefire by the monarchs—alongside military and civilian leaders—would send a powerful signal to the broader population that peace is not merely strategic but sacred.
The arms trade also poses a serious threat. Illegal weapons from old and current stockpiles continue to circulate through black markets, feeding the rise of ethno-nationalist militias.
These supply chains must be severed. Without action, the conflict risks devolving into a proxy war led by non-state actors immune to formal agreements.
Asean cannot afford to remain passive. The previous (Laos), current (Malaysia), and future (Philippines) Chairs of Asean must collectively signal that this conflict violates the very principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Thailand, especially, as the 2028 Chair, must lead by example.
Economics should now become a deterrent. President Donald Trump has declared that parties refusing to comply with the ceasefire will be excluded from US trade negotiations. Asean should adopt a similar stance.
Countries that endanger regional stability should be denied access to the Asean Free Trade Area and the Digital Economy Framework Agreement. Peace must have its rewards, but war must bear its costs.
What was elegantly drafted on July 28 now needs refinement. Over the four days of GBC meetings in Kuala Lumpur, from August 4 to 7, the 54-member delegation must close all remaining gaps. Indonesia, Singapore, and other Asean states with satellite capabilities must be the eyes in the sky to ensure that the promises made at the table are honoured on the ground.
Peace is not a slogan. It must be enforced, monitored, and—above all—earned.
* Phar Kim Beng is professor of Asean Studies, International Islamic University of Malaysia; director, Institute of Internationalization and Asean Studies (IINTAS)
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.