THAILAND-CAMBODIA BORDER — On May 28, 2025, armed clashes along the Thailand-Cambodia border escalated into a wider military conflict. A ceasefire is currently in effect between the two nations.

In the first three weeks following the escalation, approximately one million people were displaced. Between May and December 2025, dozens of casualties were recorded along the border, and 833 schools closed, disrupting education for 200,000 children. More than 50 frontline health facilities also temporarily shut down during this period.

During the conflict, the Cambodian government declared a state of emergency. Border closures restricted civil society organizations from assisting individuals leaving Cambodia. Average earnings for individuals in the affected regions decreased by 34 percent.

Bilateral trade between Thailand and Cambodia reached nearly $1 billion in the first four months of the current year. The countries recently held diplomatic negotiations at the ASEAN Leaders Summit and through bilateral channels.

Between January and mid-February 2026, six Cambodian journalists were detained, arrested, or charged with incitement for their conflict reporting. In 2025, two other journalists were sentenced to 14 years in prison for supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defense.

Human rights activist Soknin Chhoeun stated, "Political freedoms should not become another casualty of a crisis that has already imposed such heavy costs on ordinary people." Chhoeun added, "If governments and international partners focus exclusively on ending the conflict while neglecting the economic and societal impacts of the past year, they risk inflicting lasting damage to those most affected."