December 14, 2025 — Dalena Reporters
Thailand has imposed a curfew in its southeastern Trat province as violent clashes with neighbouring Cambodia intensify and spread to coastal areas of the long-disputed border region, officials said on Sunday, underscoring the fragility of a ceasefire claimed by international mediators amid escalating hostilities.
The curfew, enforced in five districts of Trat Province including Khlong Yai, Bo Rai, Laem Ngop, Khao Saming, and Mueang Trat prohibits residents from leaving their homes from 19:00 to 05:00 local time, with exceptions for essential travel. The measure excludes major tourist islands such as Koh Chang and Koh Kood but reflects growing concern over civilian safety as fighting approaches previously calm coastal communities.
Thai Defence Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri told reporters that clashes have “continued overall” along the border, with military operations focused on areas proximate to Cambodia’s Koh Kong province. Thailand’s forces have targeted infrastructure, including a bridge used by Cambodian units to transport heavy weapons, and have struck pre-positioned artillery positions, actions Phnom Penh decried as attacks on civilian infrastructure.
The renewed violence part of the most intense bout of fighting since July’s five-day confrontation erupted again after weeks of intermittent tension, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians on both sides of the border and compelling wide-scale evacuations and sheltering.
The unrest flared following a skirmish earlier in May that resulted in a Cambodian soldier’s death, breaking a relative lull and prompting an exchange of artillery fire along multiple sectors of the 817-kilometre frontier, officials said.
The curfew in Trat marks the second province to adopt such measures; a previous curfew remains in force in Sa Kaeo Province, where security forces have also sought to limit civilian exposure to combat.
The development comes just two days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had secured an agreement between Thailand and Cambodia to cease fire, following intense diplomatic engagement including talks with Thailand’s caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. However, Bangkok has made clear that a formal cessation of hostilities has not yet been reached and insists that Cambodia must halt hostility before negotiations can resume, reflecting deep mistrust on both sides despite international mediation efforts.
While a White House spokesperson reiterated U.S. expectations that all parties honour commitments to peace and would hold violators accountable, Thai officials stressed that military operations will continue until the government feels its territory and people are safe from threat.
The conflict highlights underlying territorial disputes rooted in colonial-era border demarcations and contested ground over decades and demonstrates the challenges of maintaining stability even after ceasefire efforts. As the situation persists, civilians in border provinces remain at risk, and curfews such as that in Trat are likely to remain in place pending any breakthrough in diplomatic negotiations.