Cambodia Thailand Ceasefire 2025: Can a 16-Point Plan End the Border War?

One million people displaced. Hundreds dead. The guns have finally fallen silent—at least for now. A Christmas ceasefire brokered between Cambodia and Thailand has held since December 27, 2025, as international leaders praise both nations for stepping back from the brink of a full-scale regional conflict.

Cambodia Thailand Ceasefire 2025: Detail of the Peace Plan

The new 16-point peace plan is significantly more robust than previous attempts in July and October. It outlines specific protocols for troop withdrawal, demining, and the removal of heavy weapons along the disputed 817-km border. This breakthrough followed high-level talks in Yunnan, China, where Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with defense officials from both sides to consolidate the truce.

The Billion-Dollar Barrier: Cyber Scams as a Security Threat

While the borders are currently quiet, the underlying cause—industrialized crime—remains. Thailand's cross-border crackdown on scam compounds in February sparked this undeclared war. These centers, which engage in human trafficking and "pig butchering" scams, are worth tens of billions of dollars annually. According to Cyber Scam Monitor, there are still 274 compounds operating in Cambodia.

The humanitarian toll is staggering. In December alone, over 608,000 Cambodians and 385,000 Thais were forced to evacuate. Thailand utilized F-16 jets for airstrikes as deep as 90 km inside Cambodian territory. Whether this truce holds depends on Cambodia's willingness to dismantle the criminal infrastructure that funds these border tensions.