Both sides agreed an “unconditional” ceasefire would start at midnight last night to end battling over a smattering of ancient temples in disputed zones along their 800-kilometre border.
In the Cambodian city of Samraong - 20kms from the border - an AFP journalist heard a steady drumbeat of artillery strikes throughout yesterday, before the blast sounds stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight.
Jets, rockets and artillery have killed at least 38 people since Thursday and displaced nearly 300,000 more - prompting intervention from US President Donald Trump over the weekend.
The flare-up was the deadliest since violence raged sporadically from 2008-2011 over the territory, claimed by both because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia’s French colonial administrators in 1907.
The peace deal is set to see military commanders from both sides meet, before a cross-border committee is convened in Cambodia to further salve tensions.
“When I heard the news I was so happy because I miss my home and my belongings that I left behind,” Phean Neth told AFP last night at a sprawling camp for Cambodian evacuees on a temple site away from the fighting.
“I am so happy that I can’t describe it,” said the 45-year-old.
A joint statement from both countries, as well as Malaysia which hosted the peace talks, said the ceasefire was “a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security”.
Both sides are courting Trump for trade deals to avert his threat of eye-watering tariffs, and the US State Department said its officials had been “on the ground” to shepherd peace talks.
The joint statement said China also had “active participation” in the talks, hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister and ASEAN bloc chair Anwar Ibrahim in his country’s administrative capital Putrajaya.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet thanked Trump for his “decisive” support, while his counterpart, Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, said it should be “carried out in good faith by both sides”.
“If they say they’ll stop firing, they must stop completely,” said 43-year-old Thai evacuee Prapakarn Samruamjit in the city of Surin.
‘Highly tense’
On the eve of the talks, Thailand’s military said Cambodian snipers were camped in one of the contested temples, and accused Phnom Penh of surging troops along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets.
It said there was fighting at seven areas in the rural region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and fields where locals farm rubber and rice.
Trump has threatened both countries with high levies in his global tariff blitz unless they agree to independent trade deals - but said he would “look forward” to signing them once “peace is at hand”.
Each side had already agreed to a truce in principle, while accusing the other of undermining peace efforts and trading allegations about the use of cluster bombs and targeting of hospitals.
Thailand says 11 of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed only eight civilian and five military deaths.
However, the Thai military said it has returned the bodies of 12 Cambodian soldiers killed in combat.
More than 138,000 people have fled Thailand’s border regions, while around 140,000 have been driven from their homes in Cambodia.
With the skirmish enflaming nationalist sentiments, Thailand warned its citizens to “refrain from any kind of violence, whether in speech or action” against Cambodian migrants living in the country.
Chemical Weapons
Meanwhile, the Thai military denies Cambodia’s claim that Thailand used chemical weapons and says it is an example of the daily lies told by the Cambodian side, reports the Bangkok Post.
“Thailand Denounces Cambodia’s Daily Lies and Deceptive Tactics Aimed at Manufacturing Legitimacy,” the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters wrote on its Facebook page ahead of its written dismissal of Cambodia’s chemical weapon use claim.
The armed forces headquarters said that the allegation by Lt Gen Maly Socheata, spokeswoman of the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense, was baseless. She accused Thailand of “violating Cambodian sovereignty and employing chemical weapons during military operations,” the headquarters said.
“These claims are completely unfounded and constitute a serious distortion of facts,” it said.
“Thailand has never adopted a policy to develop, produce, possess, or use chemical weapons under any circumstances. We remain fully committed to our obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and strictly abide by the principles of international humanitarian law, with utmost regard for the safety of innocent civilians.
"In contrast, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense of Cambodia has resorted to the strategic use of disinformation in an attempt to fabricate legitimacy in the eyes of the international community," the Thai armed forces headquarters wrote. "This conduct is not only irresponsible but also deceitful, manipulative, and detrimental to peace and stability in the region.”
Regarding the fake news, Nikorndej Balankura, spokesman of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it reflected organised efforts to distort information and discredit Thailand in the eyes of the international community.