Thailand accuses Cambodia of violating the ceasefire that came into effect a few hours earlier

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced Monday that Bangkok and Phnom Penh had reached "a joint agreement providing for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire" starting at midnight Tuesday (5 p.m. GMT Monday). But after it came into effect, "the Thai side noted that Cambodian forces had launched armed attacks in several areas of Thai territory," Thai army spokesman Winthai Suwaree said. "This constitutes a deliberate violation of the agreement and a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust," he added in a statement. "Thailand is compelled to respond appropriately by exercising its right to self-defense."

On the Cambodian side, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said there had been "no armed clashes […] in any region." "The front has calmed down since the ceasefire," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Tuesday morning on Facebook. Despite this accusation and denial, the two sides announced Tuesday morning that they will hold meetings between local military commanders along the border, as planned under the ceasefire agreement.

The clashes have left at least 38 people dead since Thursday and displaced around 300,000 people . The two Southeast Asian kingdoms have been at odds for decades over the demarcation of their shared border, which was defined during the time of French Indochina. But rarely in recent history has such an episode of violence rocked the region.

Thailand and Cambodia accused each other of attacking first, and each side questioned the sincerity of the other side before sitting down at the negotiating table, watched by the United States and China.

“Congratulations to all!” President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social network after the truce was announced, indicating that he had spoken to the leaders of both countries. Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai welcomed the intervention of Malaysia, which holds the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, and “President Trump.” “We have agreed to a ceasefire, which we hope will be respected in good faith by both parties,” he said. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, for his part, said the peace agreement offered a chance for a “return to normalcy.”

Cautious hope prevailed among the displaced on both sides of the border after the ceasefire was announced. In Cambodia, Phean Neth, 45, found refuge in a vast displacement camp on a temple site, far from the fighting. "I'm so happy I can't describe it."

On the Thai side, Tee Samanjai, 68, is already thinking about his return to the farm and what he'll do there: "check on the chickens, fertilize the rice, and take care of the fields." But worry is not far behind. "I want to go back, but I don't trust Cambodia at all. No one in our village does."

Bangkok and Phnom Penh have been at loggerheads since the death of a Khmer soldier in late May during an exchange of fire in a disputed area. Since then, amid a surge in nationalist rhetoric, the two countries have engaged in a escalation of measures that have affected economic and human flows.

Before the clashes broke out, Thailand had also expelled the Cambodian ambassador from its territory and recalled its own ambassador from Cambodia. The Khmer kingdom responded by downgrading diplomatic relations with its neighbor to "the lowest level."

Donald Trump called the leaders of both sides on Saturday, urging them to reach a quick agreement, or risk freezing talks on the prohibitive tariffs that are set to hit the two export-dependent economies on August 1.