Malaysia seeks deployment of ASEAN team to monitor restive Thai-Cambodian border

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) – Malaysia’s prime minister said Saturday that he had told his Cambodian and Thai counterparts that he has sought the deployment of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) observers to monitor developments along their shared border, which has seen deadly armed clashes in recent months.

Anwar Ibrahim said on the US social media company X that he had separate phone calls with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul after a call with US President Donald Trump.

"During these exchanges, I conveyed Malaysia’s deep concern over the situation and urged both sides to exercise maximum restraint, cease all forms of hostilities and refrain from any further military actions, including the use of force or forward movement of armed units, with effect from (Saturday) 13 December 2025 at 22:00 (UTC+7)," Anwar said.

To support de-escalation and promote transparency, "I have requested the deployment of the ASEAN Observer Team (AOT), led by the Malaysian Chief of Defense Forces, to monitor developments on the ground," he stated, adding that this mission will be "complemented" by satellite monitoring capabilities of the US.

The findings from satellite monitoring and field observations will be presented in a report at Tuesday’s ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, providing “an objective account of the situation” to support accountability, confidence-building, and regional stability, he added.

Anutin, however, denied that a truce would take place at the time Anwar said, adding that it is not yet time for ceasefire negotiations with Cambodia according to the Thai Enquirer news website.

Hun Manet, on the other hand, said Saturday on US social media platform Facebook: "Cambodia welcomes and supports the initiative of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia for a ceasefire tonight, which will be monitored by ASEAN Observation Team (AOT) with participation of the United States.”

Border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia have displaced around 700,000 people on both sides of the frontier, with the death toll climbing to 33 since Monday, according to officials and local media.

Eleven civilians have so far been killed in Cambodia, while 15 soldiers and seven civilians in Thailand were killed, with over 290 soldiers and police officers injured.

The two countries signed a peace deal in October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but it was suspended after Thai soldiers were seriously injured in a landmine explosion in a border province. Around 18 Cambodian soldiers remain in Thai custody from incidents in the past five months.

The neighbors have a long-running border dispute that has led to repeated clashes, including in July, when at least 48 people were killed.