Promises made, but Not Kept: A Comment on Thai Justification for Continued War

DC-Cam director Youk Chhang has compared Thai claims of the need to ‘secure its own sovereignty’ with those made by those made by German leader Adolf Hitler prior to the seizure of the Sudetenland. Supplied

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Although the full, legally‑authenticated text of the original July Kuala Lumpur ceasefire has not been released as one consolidated public document, we can still discuss the general details of the ceasefire agreement and Thailand’s abject refusal to comply with these conditions.

The Kuala Lumpur ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia in 2025 required an immediate halt to hostilities along the disputed border, withdrawal and separation of forces, as well as acceptance of ASEAN‑led monitoring and follow‑on political talks. This ceasefire was later folded into the broader Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord in October 2025, which restated those military obligations and added political and humanitarian commitments, including demining, the release of POWs and confidence‑building measures.

Incidents involving unexploded ordnance occurred in November and since then, Thailand has broken from the ceasefire, with a public statement that a ceasefire is now only possible if Cambodia meets these conditions:

• A requirement that Cambodia first announce and adhere to a ceasefire and cease incursions,

• Compliance with all points of the Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya peace package, and

• Security assurances for Thai territory and civilians before any further withdrawals or de‑escalatory steps.

While in theory there may be good reasons to entertain a party’s interests in negotiations for a ceasefire, in the case of the Thai government’s continued violation of the previous ceasefire, re-initiating a ceasefire on the terms of the Thai would seem to be rewarding the Thai’s efforts to circumvent the already agreed upon conditions set forth in these international agreements.

I can hardly think of a worse example of rewarding a party’s indifference to international law than if Cambodia and the international community were to accede to these demands that are merely a screen for the continuation of war.

Youk Chhang is director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). The views and opinions expressed are his own.

-The Phnom Penh Post-