The Daily Populous Monday December 8th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by cnn.com and submitted by ActualDepartment9873

Thailand launched airstrikes against Cambodia on Monday as a new wave of fighting erupted between the southeast Asian neighbors, leaving a peace plan presided over by US President Donald Trump just two months ago in danger of collapse.

Both sides accused the other of launching strikes along their disputed border in the early morning hours, after weeks of simmering tension and the earlier suspension of progress on the ceasefire agreement by Thailand.

The two nations have repeatedly fought brief border skirmishes in recent decades, with a deadly flare up in July some of the most serious fighting in years.

People rest at a shelter, following fresh military clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along parts of their disputed border, in Buriram province, Thailand on December 8, 2025. Prajoub Sukprom/Reuters

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the country “never wished to see violence,” but would “not allow the violation of its sovereignty.”

Additional military action would be decided “according to the conditions of the situation,” he said, seemingly meaning in response to further aggression from Cambodia.

Cambodia’s defense ministry condemned the Thai strikes, insisting it remained committed to implementing the previous ceasefire.

Thailand’s army said Monday’s airstrikes targeted Cambodian military infrastructure, and were retaliation for an attack earlier on Monday that killed a Thai soldier and injured seven people.

“The target was at Cambodia’s arms supporting positions in the area of Chong An Ma Pass,” said army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree, who accused Cambodia of using “artilleries and mortar launchers to attack the Thai side at Anupong Base.”

Cambodia began targeting the Thai border at around 3 a.m. local time, mobilizing heavy weapons and repositioning combat units, Thai military officials claimed. The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) called them “activities that could escalate military operations and pose a threat to the Thai border area.”

But Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense denied the Thai allegations, calling it “false information” in a statement.

The Cambodian army accused Thailand of launching an “an attack” on its forces at around 5.04 a.m. local time. “It should be noted that this attack occurred after the Thai forces engaged in numerous provocative actions for many days,” it said.

The defense ministry said it “did not retaliate at all… and continues to monitor the situation vigilantly and with utmost caution.”

Thailand began evacuation civilians from affected border towns on Sunday, with about 70% already moved, according to it’s army.

In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian villagers, transported by motor cart and tractor, flee from their home in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia on December 8, 2025. AKP/AP

Thailand and Cambodia fought a five-day border conflict in July that killed dozens of people and displaced about 200,000 on both sides of the frontier.

An initial ceasefire between the two sides was agreed on July 28 after Trump held calls with their respective leaders.

Thailand and Cambodia then signed an expanded ceasefire declaration in Kuala Lumpur in late October in a ceremony witnessed by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Ibrahim on Monday said he was “deeply concerned by reports of armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai forces,” while urging restraint on both sides.

“The renewed fighting risks unravelling the careful work that has gone into stabilising relations between the two neighbours,” he wrote in a statement.

Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, a regional group focused on economic, political, and security cooperation in Southeast Asia.

The October ceasefire declaration was viewed by Trump as a major diplomatic victory, and another fillip to his much vaunted – and often disputed – campaign to have ended several wars.

However, within less than a fortnight of signing, the agreement between Thailand and Cambodia began fraying.

Thailand said it was halting progress on the agreement after a landmine explosion at the border injured several Thai soldiers.

The two countries share a 500-mile (800-kilometer) land border, and the territorial dispute over demarcated portions of it largely stems from a map drawn up by the French when they controlled Cambodia as a colony, which Thailand does not accept.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

loweredvisions on December 8th, 2025 at 02:28 UTC »

Umm, if they launched airstrikes, is the peace agreement really in place?

And it’s Trump… it was never going to last.

zatch659 on December 8th, 2025 at 02:21 UTC »

Stunt to win a Nobel Peace Prize > an actual peace plan. It was a ceasefire with no follow-up, and so shaky that a landmine is the reason it fell apart.

nerphurp on December 8th, 2025 at 02:20 UTC »

He doesn't do peace deals.

He threatens parties into ceasefires without addressing the underlying conflict.