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By Matthew Tostevin
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Pointing toward roughly built houses cut off behind coils of shiny new razor wire, weeping Cambodian villagers complained that Thai soldiers had evicted them from homes near the front line despite a ceasefire agreed by the neighbors under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
One Thai official described the accusation as "fake news." Thailand, meanwhile, alleges that its soldiers have been wounded by newly placed land mines.
The allegations by both Southeast Asian countries are putting strain on a ceasefire for which Cambodia—its army heavily outgunned by Thailand's much larger and better-equipped forces—has become one of the latests countries to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
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"We want to show the international community how the Thai government violated the ceasefire by putting the barbed wire and pushing the people back from the border," Banthey Meanchey Province Governor Oum Reatrey told Newsweek during a media visit to the front line set up by the authorities.
"We never planted new mines and we never violated the ceasefire agreement. And we want to keep the area calm here," he said at the Prey Chan village.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said in an email to Newsweek: "We remain steadfast in our resolve to see this ceasefire hold and turn into a durable and lasting peace."
Newsweek sought comment from the Thai Army.
Why It Matters
If the ceasefire falls apart, it could lead to a resumption of fighting in which dozens of people have already been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced across the two countries.
It would also be a blow to Trump's peacemaking credentials as he seeks to bring about an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine—with a summit being held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska—and to secure peace in the Middle East amid Israel's ongoing war with Hamas and other Iranian proxy forces, as well as its confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program.
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What To Know
Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia erupted over five days in late July after months of rising tensions over a border dispute dating from the colonial era in a remote region of rice farms and ancient Khmer-Hindu era temples. The skirmishes ended after Trump called both sides and used tariffs to pressure them to stop.
Cambodian villagers say that Thai soldiers forced dozens of residents from their homes in two locations on August 12 and 13 and then erected barricades of tyres and barbed wire, despite the ceasefire that had stopped fighting on July 28 and a more detailed subsequent agreement early this month.
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"The Thai soldiers just told me to get out of the house, and I said I need to take my belongings, but they forced me out and put the barbed wire," wept Hul Malis, a 52-year-old woman at Prey Chan. "Right now I just want to go back to my house and get back what I had before."
Thailand has rejected accusations of violating the ceasefire over the placement of barbed wire. In its turn, it said it was protesting against what it alleged was Cambodia's use of land mines, which had wounded soldiers on August 9 and 12.
Its Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it "reflects Cambodia's lack of good faith and contravenes the ceasefire agreement finalized by both sides." It also said the land mines constituted "gross violations" of the Ottawa Treaty against the use of anti-personnel mines.
Cambodia, which has a massive demining program to deal with mines from wars dating from the 1960s to the 1990s, has said the land mines were not new. It has also complained about Thailand's continued detention of 18 soldiers, whom the Thais say are prisoners of war and are being treated appropriately.
Trump's involvement in the ceasefire was only the latest in a series of interventions in global crises. In addition to Ukraine and the Middle East are deals between Armenia and Azerbaijan and between Congo and Rwanda. Trump has also taken credit for stopping the worst confrontation in decades between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, although India disputes this.
What People Are Saying
Cambodian State Secretariat of Border Affairs: "The Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary—JBC (Cambodian side) would like to reiterate its protest against the Thai military's encroachment activities and demand the Thai side to immediately cease and remove the barbed wire, nets, barricade, and vehicle tires, and to take any appropriate measures to prevent further violations of similar nature along the border between the two countries."
Royal Thai Army: "The Royal Thai Army calls upon Cambodia to respect the ceasefire agreement, fully comply with the 13-point agreement, and strictly adhere to the principles of international law. Throughout this period, it has been found that the Cambodian side has been continuously committing violations.
State Department spokesperson: "President Trump and Secretary (Marco) Rubio expect the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to fully honor their commitments to end this conflict. We continue to support the Malaysian government as it works closely with the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to secure a ceasefire Terms of Reference and implement an ASEAN-led observation mechanism on both sides of the border."
What Happens Next
In addition to the accusations of ceasefire violations and military buildups on both sides, rumors of potential Thai attacks have repeatedly set people fleeing on the Cambodian side. Even if there is no further open clash, the situation is likely to remain tense before confidence can be rebuilt.
Updated on 08/15/25 at 7:05 a.m. ET with additional details from the scene and background
Updated on 08/16/25 at 8:56 a.m. ET with State Department comment
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