BANGKOK – On Saturday, Thailand and Cambodia reached a pivotal ceasefire agreement, aiming to conclude several weeks of armed conflict over disputed border territories. The truce was set to commence at noon, aligning with the local time.

Beyond halting the hostilities, the deal stipulates that neither nation will engage in further military maneuvers, nor will they breach each other’s airspace for military operations.

Throughout the skirmishes, only Thailand resorted to airstrikes, targeting locations within Cambodian borders as recently as Saturday morning, according to reports from Thailand’s defense ministry.

A significant aspect of the ceasefire mandates that Thailand must release 18 Cambodian soldiers, currently detained since earlier clashes in July, once the ceasefire has been effectively observed for 72 hours. This release has been a critical demand from the Cambodian authorities.

It says the two sides are committed to an earlier ceasefire that ended five days of fighting in July and follow-up agreements.

The original July ceasefire was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.

Despite those deals, the two countries carried on a bitter propaganda war and minor cross-border violence continued, escalating in early December to widespread heavy fighting.