Fragile Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire tested by mortar incident

Pathom Sangwongwanich, Bloomberg News on Jan 6, 2026

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The fragile ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia was tested Tuesday after a Thai soldier was injured by a mortar ammunition accidentally fired across the border.

The incident comes less than a week after Thailand repatriated 18 Cambodian soldiers captured in July, one of the few signs of easing tensions between the Southeast Asian neighbors. Their return followed a Dec. 27 ceasefire urged by U.S. President Donald Trump and a meeting between the two sides in China with Xi Jinping’s top diplomat.

Throughout months of clashes on their 800-kilometer border, both sides have accused the other of firing first or breaching ceasefires. Violence surged in July and December, killing dozens and displacing hundreds of thousands both times.

Tuesday’s incident appeared to be diffused after direct communications between the two armies.

A Thai soldier sustained minor injuries from shrapnel after a mortar was fired from the Cambodia side into an area of Ubon Ratchathani province referred to as Hill 469, the Thai army said in a statement. It added that its local unit was contacted by the Cambodians to explain the firing was “not intentional but rather a mistake made during their personnel’s operations.”

Earlier, the regional Thai army unit said Cambodia had violated the ceasefire and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul warned of possible retaliation.

“We would do so if necessary,” Anutin told reporters in Bangkok earlier Tuesday, striking the strong tone he has maintained on the issue while adding that the incident appears to have been an accident.

A separate incident across the border injured two Cambodian soldiers around the same time Tuesday. It’s unclear if the incidents were related.

Cambodia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that two soldiers in Preah Vihear province were injured by an explosion “in a pile of garbage” while carrying out “organization and orderliness arrangements.”