US urges calm as Cambodia-Thailand Border Tensions Escalate over Mine Incident

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Nov.12, 2025) — The United States has called for restraint and urged Cambodia and Thailand to pursue lasting peace amid rising tensions over a border mine incident that reportedly injured Thai soldiers.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington “remains steadfast in its desire to see the neighbors take steps for a longer-term peace.”

A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post that President Donald Trump, who witnessed the signing of the Joint Declaration on Peace, remains committed to the cessation of violence and expects both governments to honor their pledges.

Political analyst Kin Phea said the international community should closely monitor Thailand’s actions following Bangkok’s suspension of the peace accord, which was signed in the presence of Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“I believe Thailand would not dare to harm our 18 Khmer soldiers. If they did, the government and people of Thailand would face international condemnation,” Phea said.

He called on the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and the International Committee of the Red Cross to help ensure the safety of Cambodian troops and uphold the country’s territorial sovereignty.

Phea accused Thailand of using “various pretexts” to provoke Cambodia into breaching the ceasefire and urged Phnom Penh to remain firm. “We must never trade land or temples with the invaders,” he said, adding that Cambodia should prepare for “all possible scenarios of aggression.”

Cambodian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata expressed regret over the Nov. 11 incident, in which Thai troops were reportedly injured while patrolling a mine-contaminated area believed to contain remnants from past conflicts.
She said some Thai media outlets had quoted officials alleging that Cambodia planted new mines — claims Phnom Penh “firmly rejects.”

Lt. Gen. Socheata reaffirmed Cambodia’s compliance with the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, also known as the Ottawa Convention, saying the country has not laid new mines that threaten civilian safety.