The collapse of the fragile truce between Thailand and Cambodia has plunged one of Southeast Asia’s most volatile border disputes back into crisis, renewing scrutiny of whether Asean can contain the fast-escalating conflict between two of its own members.
The ceasefire – mediated in July by Asean chair and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and reinforced by a peace accord signed before US President Donald Trump in October – had been held up as evidence that the bloc could still broker compromises between rival claimants.
Its rapid unravelling has instead underscored how dependent the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains on “ad hoc chair diplomacy” and how ill equipped it is to enforce agreements once fighting resumes.
Joanne Lin, a senior fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute’s Asean Studies Centre, said the renewed clashes represented a “serious escalation” and Asean “needs to move beyond statements and take urgent, coordinated action” if it hoped to mediate an end to the conflict.
On Monday, Thailand said it had launched air strikes into Cambodia after both sides incurred casualties from clashes that erupted in multiple areas along their long-disputed border.
