Thailand
CambodiaKey figures
Who is fighting
Thailand
- Royal Thai Army (2nd Army Area)
- Royal Thai Air Force (F-16, Gripen)
- Royal Thai Navy and Border Patrol Police
- United States (ally; mediation)
- China (mediation)
Cambodia
- Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (Army, Air Force)
- Border police and provincial forces
- China (arms supplier; mediation)
- Malaysia/ASEAN (mediation)
Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.
Background
The border was drawn by Franco-Siamese treaties in 1904–1907, leaving ambiguities around the Preah Vihear temple (awarded to Cambodia by the ICJ in 1962 and 2013) and the Ta Muen Thom and Ta Krabey temples. Armed clashes occurred in 2008–2011. Tensions revived in May 2025 after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish; a leaked phone call between Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodia's Hun Sen led to her suspension and removal, and both sides closed crossings and expelled diplomats.
On 24 July 2025, after Thai soldiers were maimed by landmines, Thailand launched air strikes and Cambodia fired rockets into Thai provinces; five days of fighting killed dozens and displaced over 200,000 before Malaysia, with US and Chinese pressure, brokered an unconditional ceasefire on 28 July. A Kuala Lumpur peace accord signed on 26 October 2025 in the presence of President Trump provided for ASEAN observers and withdrawal of heavy weapons, but Thailand suspended it in November after new landmine casualties.
Fighting resumed on 7–8 December 2025; Thailand's Operation Sattawat seized localities in northern Cambodia and Cambodian artillery hit Thai towns. Crisis Group estimates at least 101 people were killed and about a million people displaced on both sides before a second ceasefire took effect on 27 December with a 72-hour monitoring period, freezing troops in place. Thailand holds most contested areas and has fenced some with containers and barbed wire. In 2026 the ceasefire has held with sporadic incidents, Thailand released captured Cambodian soldiers, and both governments have shifted to diplomacy: Cambodia launched UN-backed maritime conciliation after Thailand scrapped a 2001 Gulf of Thailand agreement, and the foreign ministers held a second round of talks in The Hague on 15 October 2026.
Recent developments
- 15 October 2026At a summit in Baku, Hun Manet calls for dialogue and 'faithful implementation' of bilateral agreements; Cambodia says 20,000 people remain displaced; the same day foreign ministers meet in The Hague for a second round of UN-backed maritime conciliation. source ↗
- 1 October 2026Crisis Group report finds the truce 'under growing strain' with diplomacy stalled and Thailand holding slivers of Cambodian territory; it urges demarcation talks and observer access. source ↗
- 15 August 2026Stratfor assesses that the ceasefire will likely hold through 2026 without broader normalisation. source ↗
- 15 June 2026Thailand suspends participation in bilateral land-border demarcation mechanisms, leaving negotiations in limbo; it says it will resume 'when conditions allow'. source ↗
- 1 May 2026Ceasefire reported still in effect with sporadic incidents and mutual mistrust; over 20,000 Cambodian civilians remain displaced. source ↗
Timeline
- 15 June 1962ICJ awards Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia; surrounding land remains disputed (clarified in 2013).
- 4 February 2011Week-long artillery clashes near Preah Vihear kill at least 18; ICJ-ordered demilitarised zone.
- 28 May 2025Cambodian soldier killed in a skirmish; border closures, leaked Hun Sen–Paetongtarn call and the Thai PM's suspension follow.
- 24 July 2025Open fighting: Thai air strikes and Cambodian rocket fire; dozens killed, over 200,000 displaced in five days.
- 28 July 2025Malaysia-brokered unconditional ceasefire takes effect.
- 26 October 2025Kuala Lumpur peace accord signed at the ASEAN summit; Thailand suspends it in November after landmine incidents.
- 8 December 2025Fighting resumes; Thailand's Operation Sattawat (10 Dec) seizes localities in northern Cambodia; about a million people displaced.
- 27 December 2025Second ceasefire takes effect with troops frozen in place; Thailand holds most contested areas.
- 17 February 2026Hun Manet says Thai forces occupy territory 'deep' inside Cambodia and 80,000 people cannot return.
- 1 June 2026Thailand halts Joint Boundary Commission talks; Cambodia launches UN-treaty maritime conciliation over Gulf of Thailand claims.
- 15 October 2026Hun Manet tells a Baku summit the ceasefire holds but sovereignty issues are unresolved; foreign ministers hold maritime talks in The Hague.
Casualties and displacement in detail
| Measure | Low | High | What the figure covers · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total killed (cumulative) | 150 | 300 | Both 2025 rounds. Low: Crisis Group's 'at least 150 killed' in 2025. High: Wikipedia-compiled tallies — 43 Thai soldiers, 130–160+ Cambodian military and border police (independent analysis; Cambodia admits 73, Thailand claims about 505), 39 Cambodian and 17 Thai civilians killed directly (plus 47 Thai indirect deaths) and 1 Lao national. crisisgroup.org ↗ |
| Combatants killed | 116 | 548 | Low: 43 Thai (Thailand) + 73 Cambodian (Cambodian local sources). High: 43 Thai + about 505 Cambodian (Thai claim). Independent analysis puts Cambodian military deaths at 130–160+. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Civilians killed | 57 | 104 | 39 Cambodian, 17 Thai and 1 Lao civilian killed directly; Thailand also attributes 47 further deaths to indirect causes. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Wounded | 1,144 | 1,144 | 448+ Cambodian soldiers, 535+ Thai soldiers, 122+ Cambodian and 39+ Thai civilians (compiled). en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Deaths in the last 12 months | 101 | 101 | Deaths in the December 2025 round (Crisis Group: at least 101, 8–27 December); none reported since the 27 December ceasefire. crisisgroup.org ↗ |
| Internally displaced | 20,000 | 80,000 | Still displaced in 2026: Cambodia says 20,000 (Oct 2026); Hun Manet said about 80,000 could not return home in February 2026. At the peak, over 200,000 were displaced in July 2025 and 500,000 to about 1 million in December 2025 across both countries. cambojanews.com ↗ |
| Refugees abroad | – | – | Not applicable; displacement was internal on both sides. |
Intensity classification: No battle deaths reported since the 27 December 2025 ceasefire. Crisis Group counts at least 150 killed across the two rounds of fighting in 2025 (July: about 40–50; December: at least 101); Wikipedia's compiled tallies give 43 Thai soldiers, 73–160+ Cambodian soldiers and 56 civilians killed. Included as a frozen conflict of major public interest..
Countries affected
Frequently asked questions
Who is fighting in the Thailand–Cambodia border conflict?
Thailand (Royal Thai Army (2nd Army Area), Royal Thai Air Force (F-16, Gripen), Royal Thai Navy and Border Patrol Police), supported by United States (ally; mediation), China (mediation); against Cambodia (Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (Army, Air Force), Border police and provincial forces), supported by China (arms supplier; mediation), Malaysia/ASEAN (mediation).
How many people have been killed?
Estimates range from 150–300 killed as of 16 October 2026. Both 2025 rounds. Low: Crisis Group's 'at least 150 killed' in 2025. High: Wikipedia-compiled tallies — 43 Thai soldiers, 130–160+ Cambodian military and border police (independent analysis; Cambodia admits 73, Thailand claims about 505), 39 Cambodian and 17 Thai civilians killed directly (plus 47 Thai indirect deaths) and 1 Lao national. Civilian deaths are put at 57–104. Figures come from the sources listed on this page and differ in method; see the caveats above.
Is the Thailand–Cambodia border conflict still ongoing in 2026?
Status as of 19 October 2026: Ceasefire / truce — Thailand and Cambodia fought two rounds of open warfare in 2025 over disputed stretches of their 800-km border and the Preah Vihear-area temples: five days in July (ended by a Malaysia-brokered ceasefire) and twenty days in December (ended by a 27 December ceasefire after Thai forces seized most contested areas). The truce has held through 2026 but is under strain: Thailand occupies the contested zones and, Cambodia says, land beyond them; about 20,000 Cambodians remain displaced; Thailand suspended the Joint Boundary Commission in June 2026; and the two sides are now contesting a separate maritime claim before a UN-treaty conciliation commission.
When did it start?
The current phase began on 24 July 2025, but the underlying conflict dates back to 1907 — 1 year, 2 months ago.
Sources
- International Crisis Group — Toward a Thaw in the Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict (Oct 2026) crisisgroup.org
- Wikipedia — 2025 Cambodian–Thai border crisis en.wikipedia.org
- Al Jazeera — Cambodian PM says Thailand occupying 'deep' territory (Feb 2026) aljazeera.com
- CamboJA News — Hun Manet airs border dispute at Asia summit (Oct 2026) cambojanews.com
- Stratfor — Thailand and Cambodia maintain an uneasy ceasefire (Aug 2026) worldview.stratfor.com
- US Embassy Thailand — border security alert (Jan 2026) th.usembassy.gov
More conflicts
Myanmar civil war (military government vs NUG/PDF and ethnic armed organizations)
Afghanistan–Pakistan war (Taliban government vs Pakistan)
Pakistan — TTP insurgency in Khyber PakhtunkhwaBalochistan insurgency (Baloch separatists vs Pakistan)
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency (India)Manipur ethnic violence (Meitei, Kuki-Zo and Naga communities)
Philippines — Islamist militancy in Mindanao (Dawlah Islamiya, BIFF remnants)Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir (India)Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Thailand–Cambodia border conflict (2026). Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://glostats.com/conflicts/thailand-cambodia-border-conflict/<a href="https://glostats.com/conflicts/thailand-cambodia-border-conflict/">Thailand–Cambodia border conflict (2026)</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
This page summarises publicly available reporting and does not take sides. Casualty and force figures are estimates compiled on 19 October 2026; see each figure's source for its method and date. Page generated 2026-10-19. How this tracker works.