Malaysia to Coordinate Efforts to Ease Thailand–Cambodia Border Tensions, Says PM Anwar

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Dec. 15, 2025) — Malaysia is coordinating efforts to ease tensions between Thailand and Cambodia in a bid to halt hostilities along their disputed border, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday.

Anwar said both countries requested a brief postponement of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, originally scheduled for Dec. 16, to allow the situation to stabilize. Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later confirmed the meeting has been rescheduled for Dec. 22.

“We are still coordinating and monitoring efforts. They have asked for a slight postponement of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled on Tuesday. So we are postponing to get things in order.

But we are still appealing to stop the fighting. This is very critical. I am in touch with them virtually on a daily basis,” Anwar told reporters.

On Dec. 14, Thailand’s military announced it was considering blocking fuel exports to Cambodia as fighting spread to coastal areas of the disputed border region. The announcement came two days

After U.S. President Donald Trump said both sides had agreed to a new ceasefire.
The two nations have clashed repeatedly in 2025, reigniting a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands since the death of a Cambodian soldier in a May skirmish.

Asked about the proposed fuel blockade, Anwar said negotiations are ongoing. “We are still negotiating to cool things down. It is very difficult,” he said.

Anwar previously proposed deploying an ASEAN Observer Team led by Malaysia’s chief of defense forces to monitor the situation. The mission would use U.S.-provided satellite imagery to verify whether both sides are honoring the ceasefire.

Field data and satellite tracking results would be compiled and presented to ASEAN foreign ministers, providing evidence-based and neutral information on developments.