Singapore Voices Concern as ASEAN Convenes Emergency Talks on Deadly Cambodia–Thailand Border Clashes

SINGAPORE (Dec. 22, 2025) — Singapore said Monday it remains “deeply concerned” about escalating violence along the Cambodia–Thailand border, as Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan joined ASEAN counterparts in Kuala Lumpur for emergency talks.

In a statement, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Balakrishnan would attend the special ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, chaired by Malaysia, to promote peace and stability amid renewed fighting between the two neighbors.

“Singapore remains deeply concerned with the situation along the Thai–Cambodia border,” the ministry said, adding that it welcomed efforts by ASEAN, external partners and bilateral mechanisms to de escalate the conflict “in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity and good neighbourliness.”

The meeting follows a Dec. 11 agreement by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Cambodian and Thai counterparts to convene special talks. Malaysia currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship, which will pass to the Philippines in January.

Renewed clashes this month have killed at least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia, according to officials. Cambodian authorities said more than half a million civilians have been displaced, underscoring the humanitarian toll of the conflict.

Thailand and Cambodia have long disputed sovereignty over sections of their shared border. Tensions flared in July after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of gunfire.

A ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump later halted the violence, followed by a joint peace declaration in October. Thailand suspended the agreement in November, with both sides accusing each other of fresh clashes.