Fragile peace

The sudden ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia is a welcome relief ~ but it is, at best, a temporary pause in a volatile, deeply rooted border conflict.

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With over 30 lives lost and nearly 275,000 civilians displaced in under a week, the scale and intensity of the fighting underscored how quickly a dormant territorial grievance can spiral into open war.

What began as localised military skirmishes quickly escalated into full-fledged hostilities, involving artillery barrages, drone overflights and airstrikes. It is a sobering reminder that even in an increasingly interconnected region, 20th-century disputes can still fuel 21stcentury crises. At the heart of this renewed conflict lies an unresolved border demarcation that dates back more than a century. The disputed area, rich in nationalist symbolism and strategic value, has often been the flashpoint for periodic clashes. This time, however, the stakes were higher.