Thailand Alleges 250 Drone Incursions as Cambodia Denies Breach of New Ceasefire

Border Accusations Put a New Truce Under Strain

Thailand accused Cambodia on Monday, December 29, 2025, of sending more than 250 drones into Thai territory, putting a ceasefire that began only two days earlier under pressure. The allegation also threatened the planned release of 18 Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand since July, a central commitment in the agreement.

The Royal Thai Army said the drones crossed from the Cambodian side on Sunday night. Military authorities identified areas including Chong Bok, Chong An Ma and Sattasome, and described sightings across the northeastern provinces of Buriram, Si Sa Ket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani.

Major General Winthai Suvaree, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army, said the scale of the alleged incursion reflected a hostile stance and endangered military personnel and civilians along the frontier. Thailand described the flights as a breach of its sovereignty and of measures intended to reduce tensions.

Cambodia denied launching the drones. Its foreign minister said both countries had discussed sightings along the border and agreed to investigate, while its defense ministry said national and provincial authorities had strictly prohibited such flights.

The ceasefire took effect at noon local time on Saturday, December 27, after weeks of intense fighting. The latest hostilities killed more than 100 people and contributed to displacement approaching one million civilians. The agreement had been welcomed as a breakthrough after shelling, airstrikes and repeated failures to sustain earlier peace arrangements.

Monday's dispute exposed an immediate problem for the truce: the two governments were giving sharply different accounts of activity along the same border while diplomats were trying to rebuild cooperation.

What Thailand Alleges and Cambodia Says

The Thai army treated the alleged drone flights as a direct provocation. Its account focused on both the number of aircraft detected and their movement from Cambodia into territory Thailand considers its own. For communities near military positions, the accusation added uncertainty just as the ceasefire was supposed to make the frontier safer.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn addressed the incident in remarks broadcast on state television. He described it as a limited matter involving sightings by both countries and said they had agreed to investigate and resolve it immediately.

a small issue related to flying drones seen by both sides along the border line.

Cambodian Ministry of National Defense spokeswoman Maly Socheata gave a categorical denial that Cambodia had launched the drones. She said the ministry and provincial authorities along the border had strictly prohibited such flights.

Sokhonn's account focused on joint discussion and investigation, while Socheata rejected the allegation of launches. Thailand, meanwhile, maintained that a large incursion had occurred. The origin and purpose of the aircraft remained disputed, with no investigation result announced by December 29.

The disagreement also showed how little trust remained between the neighbors. A ceasefire depends on both sides believing that military activity has stopped and that complaints can be checked. Here, conflicting accounts made outside verification of events on the ground difficult.

The Fate of 18 Captured Soldiers

Thailand agreed under Saturday's ceasefire to release 18 Cambodian soldiers after the truce had held for 72 hours. That condition made the first three days especially sensitive: any alleged violation could affect a commitment intended to help restore confidence.

The Thai army signaled after the drone incident that it might reconsider the release. Winthai warned that continued violations of the agreement and Thai sovereignty would require the army to act to protect national interests and security.

The soldiers have been held since July, and the circumstances of their capture remain a point of dispute. Cambodia argues that Thailand unlawfully detained them after the initial July ceasefire. Thailand says they were captured during continuing combat operations that violated that earlier truce.

Their release is therefore both a practical provision of the new agreement and a test of whether the countries can carry out promises despite their competing accounts of past events. For Cambodia, their return would address a longstanding grievance. For Thailand, the agreement ties that return to observance of the ceasefire.

The truce also includes a freeze on troop movements and cooperation on demining. Holding forces in place is intended to reduce the risk of fresh confrontations while the countries work through disputes that the ceasefire itself leaves unresolved.

China Hosts Talks to Rebuild Trust

The foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia traveled to China's Yunnan province for two days of talks hosted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The meetings were presented as an effort to build mutual confidence and restore regional stability.

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow sounded cautiously optimistic after the discussions. He said the parties were moving in a positive direction, acknowledged that some issues remained unresolved and stressed the need to maintain momentum.

Wang described the ceasefire as "hard-won" and urged Thailand and Cambodia to continue the process rather than abandon it halfway. He called for rebuilding political trust and turning relations around after the fighting.

A joint communique issued after the Yunnan talks said China, Thailand and Cambodia had reached an important consensus on gradually resuming normal exchanges and safeguarding regional peace. The approach set out a sequence of smaller steps toward cooperation, rather than an immediate settlement of every disagreement.

The drone accusations surfaced just hours after those positive diplomatic statements. The timing showed how quickly an incident along the frontier could put pressure on commitments made at the negotiating table.

US and Chinese Mediation Face the Same Test

The United States has also played a substantial role in attempts to mediate the conflict. President Donald Trump witnessed the signing of a declaration in October, known as the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, and previously praised the conclusion of peace talks.

Trump, the US president, described the outcome in these terms:

rapid and fair conclusion

The October agreement subsequently collapsed, and fighting resumed in early December. Its failure left the latest ceasefire carrying the weight of earlier promises that had not prevented another round of violence.

China has presented itself as a steady mediator, contrasting its approach with what it sees as greater pressure from Western powers. Beijing's preference for a quieter process built around continuing dialogue differs from US efforts that have placed greater weight on speed and immediate results.

The border conflict has consequently become an arena for diplomatic competition between Washington and Beijing, both seeking influence in Southeast Asia. For Thailand and Cambodia, however, the immediate task is the same regardless of the mediator: keeping the current ceasefire from collapsing as previous agreements did.

The underlying grievances and disputed boundary require sustained discussion. A halt in shooting gives the countries room to pursue that work, but carrying out troop restrictions, investigating incidents and completing agreed releases are immediate tests of cooperation.

Why the Border Remains Disputed

Thailand and Cambodia have not fully agreed on their border of about 800 kilometers. The dispute reaches back to treaties signed in 1904 and 1907 between the Kingdom of Siam and French colonial authorities in Indochina.

Maps and survey documents from that period were often imprecise, leaving overlapping claims to highland areas and strategic passes. Border demarcation means working out where the boundary runs on the ground, using surveys and agreed reference points. That technical work remains unfinished.

The Preah Vihear temple complex has been the best known focus of the dispute. In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but the ruling did not clearly delineate the surrounding territory. The adjacent highlands and approaches remained sources of uncertainty and recurring military and diplomatic crises.

Ancient temple ruins also carry strong national meaning in both countries. Competing claims to these places can turn questions about maps and access routes into disputes about identity and national pride.

In February 2025, Thai soldiers prevented Cambodian tourists from singing their national anthem at the disputed Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple. The confrontation was symbolic, but it helped set the stage for more serious clashes later in the year.

The latest ceasefire therefore addresses the immediate fighting while leaving the larger boundary problem for further negotiations. Cambodia has called for another bilateral meeting in early January to discuss survey and demarcation work.

How the Conflict Escalated During 2025

A clash in May killed a Cambodian lieutenant and pushed relations to their lowest point in more than a decade. By July, the dispute had developed into extensive armed confrontation, with attacks affecting places used by civilians as well as military positions.

The Thai military said Cambodian BM-21 multiple rocket launchers struck Thai residential neighborhoods, a hospital and a gas station. These launchers can fire multiple rockets in succession, making them a serious threat to populated areas.

Thailand responded by deploying F-16 fighter jets for airstrikes against Cambodian positions. It was the Royal Thai Air Force's first use of those jets in such operations since the Thai-Laotian Border War.

The main steps from rising tension to the latest truce were:

• February 2025: Thai soldiers prevented Cambodian tourists from singing their national anthem at Prasat Ta Muen Thom.
• May 2025: A clash killed a Cambodian lieutenant, sharply worsening relations.
• July 2025: Fighting expanded, with Thai accounts of Cambodian rocket attacks and Thai F-16 airstrikes. A ceasefire followed in late July.
• October 2025: The Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord was signed, with Trump witnessing the declaration.
• Early December 2025: Fighting resumed. Thailand launched Operation Sattawat to seize strategic localities in northern Cambodia.
• December 27, 2025: The latest ceasefire began at noon local time.
• December 28 to 29, 2025: Thailand alleged a major drone incursion on Sunday night and announced the accusation on Monday. Cambodia denied launching the aircraft.

The December fighting killed more than 100 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. The sequence of agreements followed by renewed combat explains why the first days of the latest truce are receiving close attention from both governments and international mediators.

Civilians Face Danger Beyond the Fighting

Nearly one million civilians have been forced to flee their homes during the conflict. Many are living in temporary shelters and fear returning to villages affected by unexploded ordnance and shrapnel.

Unexploded ordnance means ammunition, such as shells or other explosive weapons, that failed to detonate when used. It can remain dangerous after the fighting ends. Shrapnel, the fragments scattered by explosions, adds to the damage left around homes and public spaces.

Hospitals and schools have sustained heavy damage, making recovery harder even if the ceasefire holds. A damaged hospital limits access to treatment, while damage to schools interrupts education and creates another obstacle for families considering a return.

Displacement has also disrupted agriculture and trade in border provinces. People who cannot reach their fields, workplaces or markets face losses that continue beyond the immediate danger of shelling and airstrikes.

Humanitarian organizations remain concerned about civilian safety. Thailand and Cambodia are discussing demining and the return of displaced residents, but clearing affected areas requires coordination and specialized expertise because accidental explosions remain a serious risk.

Drones and Mines Complicate the Peace Effort

The latest accusation centers on a large group of drones, adding a modern military threat to a conflict already involving rockets, aircraft and landmines. Winthai's warning linked the alleged scale of the flights to risks for both troops and civilians.

Earlier accounts also described FPV suicide drones and sophisticated landmines. FPV means first person view: an operator controls a drone using images transmitted from its camera. A suicide drone is intended to strike a target and explode, rather than return after its flight.

The use of Russian-made PMN-2 landmines has drawn international condemnation and complicated peace negotiations. Cambodia is a party to the Ottawa Treaty, which bans antipersonnel mines. Such mines are designed to injure or kill people and can remain dangerous long after troops leave an area.

Mine clearance is consequently part of the ceasefire's practical work, alongside restrictions on troop movements. The countries need to coordinate the removal of explosive hazards before affected communities can return safely and resume normal activity.

The proposed bilateral talks in early January offer another opportunity to address survey and demarcation work. International observers and continued mediation by China and the United States also have a role in supporting compliance and preventing renewed violence.

As of December 29, the immediate priorities are to investigate the drone dispute, preserve the ceasefire and carry out its commitments. Progress on those tasks would give Thailand and Cambodia more room to tackle the boundary disagreements that have repeatedly brought them back into conflict.

Key Points

• Thailand says more than 250 drones crossed from Cambodia into Thai territory on Sunday night, December 28.
• Cambodia denies launching the drones; its foreign minister says both countries agreed to investigate border sightings.
• The ceasefire began at noon on December 27 and includes a freeze on troop movements and cooperation on demining.
• Thailand may reconsider releasing 18 Cambodian soldiers, whose return was tied to the ceasefire holding for 72 hours.
• Foreign ministers met in Yunnan for talks hosted by China's Wang Yi, seeking to rebuild trust and resume normal exchanges.
• The latest fighting killed more than 100 people, while displacement during the conflict approached one million civilians.
• The border of about 800 kilometers remains incompletely agreed, with Cambodia seeking further survey and demarcation talks in early January.