Language Understanding the Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute: Implications for ASEAN and India Brig Vinod Anand, Senior Fellow, VIF Faisal Ahmed August 15 , 2025 Views: 3935 Comments: 0 Historical Background On 28 July 2025, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an unconditional ceasefire after fresh tensions began in May this year which ultimately turned into a skirmish on July 24. In fact, the two countries have been in a dispute pertaining to an un- demarcated land border since the 1950s, post Cambodiaʼs independence from France, which made Cambodia its protectorate in 1863. The dispute over the contested border revolves around the ancient Preah Vihear temple, which is an architectural grandeur of the Khmer Empire, which extended into the present-day Thailand. Thus, in Thailand, this temple is considered as a symbol of Siamese historical influence.
Also, it serves as the sacred and cultural legacy for the people of Cambodia as well. The temple is situated in a strategic location and serves as the focal point for both Thailand and Cambodia. Interestingly, for tourism purposes, the access to Preah Vihear is primarily through Thailand. In 1959, Cambodia approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the dispute.
And in its landmark ruling in 1962, the ICJ established that the sovereignty over Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia. Although Thailand complied with the ruling, yet the ambiguity pertaining to the exact boundary line remained an issue of discord. In 2008, Thailand did sign a joint communiqué and supported Cambodiaʼs bid of declaring the temple as a UNESCO world heritage site. However, this also led to a nationalist protest in Thailand, and the group “Yellow Shirts” opposed the governmentʼs stand terming it as a betrayal of national sovereignty.
The listing of the temple as a world heritage site in 2008 led to armed conflict between the two countries. Besides, there are other temples such as Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples situated closer to the border which are also involved in the territorial dispute. The conflict has been ongoing with intermittent clashes between the two countries. Recent Skirmish and Ceasefire Agreement Today, the dispute primarily pertains to Preah Vihear temple, and precisely emanates from the understanding of the border demarcation carried out during the period of French colonial rule.
However, the latest round of conflict between the two countries escalated when soldiers on both sides of the border exchanged fire, and also indulged in air strikes last month. Home Understanding the Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute: Implications for ASEAN and India Search [1] [2] [3] Subsequently, the ceasefire was concluded after four days of skirmish. This agreement was mediated by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, who had initiated the series of dialogue in his capacity as the chair of ASEAN, alongside the United States and China. As part of the ceasefire deal, the military commanders from both Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to resolve the situation and develop a peaceful mechanism.
On 7 August 2025, a meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee was concluded in Kuala Lumpur. This is considered a major step toward peace-building and brought several outcomes such as commitment to cease all hostilities and attacks on civilians, and agreeing to uphold the cause of international humanitarian law. Both sides responded positively to ensure the best interest of their citizens, and to maintain peace and stability in the region. Nonetheless, it will require concerted efforts from both sides for the conflict to be resolved sooner.
This is because even after the brokered ceasefire, both countries have consistently accused each other of violating the terms and conditions of the ceasefire. Notably, inter-state disputes of such nature, including this one, have also been previously mediated by ASEAN and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at various times. Implications for ASEAN It is imperative to understand that the centrality of ASEAN is in question due to the skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia. Moreover, the escalations between the two countries have also somewhat undermined basic tenets of the treaty signed under ASEAN i.e.
“Treaty of Amity and Cooperation”, which entails the mechanisms of non-interference into the internal affairs of the member countries. Further, it is contended that this time ASEAN has shown an immediate response to resolve the crisis. On the contrary, earlier there had been escalations between Thailand and Cambodia during 2008-11, and it was only resolved when the UN Security Council mediated it. Thus, this dispute positions ASEAN in a very critical situation, and its resolution efforts must employ pragmatic negotiations and diplomatic instruments without resorting to armed interventions.
An armed conflict in ASEAN will also have spill-over effect on maritime security, and consequently the freedom of navigation in the Eastern Indian Ocean as well as the South China Sea. A geopolitically stable Thai-Cambodia border is important for both ASEAN and India, and it provides opportunities for deeper engagement through trade, investments, connectivity, development aid, and cultural connect. Implications for India Especially for India, this dispute has considerable implications given Indiaʼs regional interests in ASEAN. India shares good relations with both Thailand and Cambodia.
India already has two free trade agreements with ASEAN: one in goods (2009) and the other in services and investment (2014). Moreover, ASEAN is integral to Indiaʼs “Act East Policy” and regional connectivity initiative viz. India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway. IMT envisions having potential connectivity with Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam as well.
This might face severe ramifications if the border tensions between the two countries escalates. Also, both Thailand and Cambodia are key to ASEANʼs manufacturing sector, and any armed conflict in the region may lead to supply-chain disruptions and other geopolitical risks for Indian investments. Interestingly, India is linked to both Thailand and Cambodia through the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC), which was established in the year 2000 to foster cooperation among the people sharing the river basins of Mekong and Ganga, the two civilizational rivers. MGC includes India and five ASEAN countries viz.
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam; and focuses on cooperation in sectors such as tourism, culture, education, and transportation and communication. Concluding Observations The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia appears to be complex and requires deeper diplomatic engagements, international mediations, and economic collaborations. It needs to be seen whether the situation escalates to yet another skirmish or both countries can honour the ceasefire in their own interests. The two countries have the potential to transform this dispute into opportunity by engaging in dialogue and paving the way for shared prosperity in the region.
On the other hand, it is also crucial to see how ASEAN further envisions expanding the horizons of the dialogue, because ASEAN would have to adopt a very proactive and vigilant approach to be able to deter future escalations. Importantly, whether an ASEAN-backed mediation between Thailand and Cambodia can yield pragmatic outcomes and resolve this conflict, or the two countries would still need the United States and China backed mediation, remains to be seen. But for now, a pragmatic roadmap would be that ASEAN continues to lead the mediation, and work towards ensuring the compliance of agreement already reached while the United States, China, and India play a supporting role. References “Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodian military targets as deadly border dispute escalates”, by Helen Regan, Kocha Olarn, Lex Harvey, Antoinette Radford and Laura Sharman, CNN World, on July 24, 2025 Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/thailand-cambodia-border-dispute-07-24-25-intl-hnk “The Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute”, Geopolitical Futures Report, on August 8, 2025 Available at: https://geopoliticalfutures.com/the-thailand-cambodia-border-dispute/ Ibid. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [1] [2] [3] Tags : “Thailand-Cambodia July 2025 border conflict and its context”, Silobreaker Blog, on August 6, 2025, Available at: “Thailand, Cambodia Agree to Unconditional Ceasefire After Five-Day Conflict”, News on Air, on July 28, 2025, Available at: “Thailand, Cambodia agree on 13 key points to implement ceasefire agreement”, The Nation, on August 7, 2025, Available at: “Thailand, Cambodia border tensions continue as talks conclude in Malaysia”, by Andrew Nachemson, Aljazeera, on August 7, 2025, Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/7/locals-pray-for-peace-as-thailand-cambodia-tensions-continue- despite-talks “Hegemonic Stability Theory: Trumpʼs Transactional Hegemony and the Cambodia-Thailand Border and the Cambodia- Thailand Border Dispute”, by Lak Chansok, E-International Relations, on August 8, 2025, Available at: https://www.e- ir.info/2025/08/08/hegemonic-stability-theory-trumps-transactional-hegemony-and-the-cambodia-thailand-border-dispute/ “Thailand-Cambodia clashes pose a serious test to ASEAN centrality”, by Khang V, The Interpreter, published by The Lowy Institute, on July 28, 2025, Available at: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/thailand-cambodia-clashes-pose-serious- test-asean-centrality Ibid.
Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Available at: ASEAN, Cambodia, Malaysia, Preah Vihear [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] Brig Vinod Anand, Senior Fellow, VIF DETAIL Faisal Ahmed DETAIL Author Global South Institute visits Vivekananda Foundation in Indi The Global South Institute took another step in its strategy of a The Poisoned Chalice of German Chancellorship: Friedrich Mer On 6 September 2026, the far-right party, Alternative für Deutsch Examining the Historical Narrative of Chinaʼs ʻNine-Dash Lin Introduction On 12th July 2026, Chinaʼs Ministry of Foreign Af िक्स म शांित की ओर बढ़े कदम अगले साल चीन म िमलने के वायदे के साथ नई िदी िक्स सेलन S. Gurumurthyʼs Big Warning: Who Will Fix The Judiciary? | 6 Honourable Minister of Law, Arjun Ram Meghwal ji; Honourable Chie BRICS Stands Strengthened: Takeaways from the 18th BRICS Sum The 18th BRICS Summit, hosted by India in New Delhi on 12th and 1