Thailand and Cambodia’s ceasefire is holding – for now

Thai and Cambodian military commanders met yesterday to strengthen a fragile ceasefire that has brought calm to their shared border after five days of fighting.

So what? The clashes were the deadliest between the two countries for more than a decade and occurred in contested areas of their 508-mile border. They

• killed at least 43 people and displaced hundreds of thousands;
• sparked fears of a wider war; and
• threatened to deepen a political crisis already engulfing Thailand.

Exchanges of fire. The fighting, which first erupted on Thursday, saw the deployment of artillery and fighter jets. Cambodia accused Thailand of using controversial cluster munitions, while Thailand claimed Cambodia targeted civilian areas. Each country blamed the other for instigating the fighting.

Troubled history. The dispute stems from a map drawn up by France in 1907, when Cambodia was a French colony. It absorbed into Cambodia several areas previously ceded by Thai rulers. Today Thailand claims the map is inaccurate.

Elsewhere. It is not the only simmering border dispute in the wider region, many of which are the legacy of colonialism or past conflict.

• Kashmir. India and Pakistan have clashed several times over the mountainous territory, most recently in May.
• Taiwan. China sees the island as a breakaway province and has adopted an increasingly aggressive military posture towards it.
• South China Sea. China’s claims over the shipping route, which is home to rich fisheries, have put it at odds with Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Several confrontations have turned violent.
• Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Japan controls this uninhabited group of islands in the East China Sea, which are claimed by China and Taiwan.

Holy war. Temples play a prominent role in the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. These include Preah Vihear, an ancient Hindu site perched on a cliff, where tensions flared last week. Like other contested areas, it sits in the “Emerald Triangle”, a border region shared by Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

Timeline. Thailand occupied Preah Vihear in 1954, a year after Cambodia declared independence from France. The International Court of Justice has twice ruled that the temple belongs to Cambodia, but Thailand refuses to recognise the court’s jurisdiction.

The pair established a commission to settle their border in 2000. It has made little progress, and holy sites have periodically fuelled nationalist animosity.

• 2003. Cambodian rioters torched Thailand’s embassy in Phnom Penh after a Thai actress allegedly said Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temples belonged to Thailand.
• 2008. Conflict flared after the UN listed Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site, following a recommendation by Cambodia.
• 2011: Skirmishes around Preah Vihear killed at least 16, with Cambodia claiming Thai troops had inflicted “significant damage” on the temple.

Fast forward. In May a Cambodian soldier was killed during an exchange of fire with Thai troops, re-kindling these tensions. Earlier this month a leaked phone call revealed that Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, had criticised her country’s powerful military during a call with former Cambodian premier Hun Sen, whom she called “uncle”. She was subsequently suspended.

Dynastic clash. Hun Sen, whose son now leads Cambodia, was once firm friends with Paetongtarn’s father, Thaksin, who was Thailand’s prime minister from 2001 to 2006. But relations between the two families have broken down in spectacular fashion recently. Paetongtarn claimed she was trying to ease tensions during the call, which was leaked in full by the former Cambodian ruler. The feud has helped fuel the current crisis.

The spark. Last week a landmine blast at the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Thailand closed several border crossings, expelled Cambodia’s ambassador and withdrew its representative from Phnom Penh, accusing Cambodian forces of laying new landmines in the area.

Cooler heads. The ceasefire that eventually ended the fighting was brokered by the US and Malaysia. Soon after it took effect, Thailand’s military accused Cambodia of “deliberately” violating the agreement, but – so far – it appears to be holding.

Carrot and stick. In an unexpected twist to his trade war, Donald Trump threatened Cambodia and Thailand with heavy tariffs if they kept fighting. Like other countries, they were in talks with the Trump administration to avoid levies ahead of a 1 August deadline.

What's more… Trump spun this week’s truce as evidence of his peace-making credentials, despite failing to achieve sustainable ceasefires in Ukraine and Gaza and authorising strikes in Iran in June.