Bangkok, 26 October 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Three months after heavy fighting in the border region between Thailand and Cambodia, both countries have sealed a peace agreement in the presence of US President Donald Trump.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet signed the agreement in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Trump had landed there shortly beforehand as a guest of the summit meeting of the South-East Asian ASEAN group.

The agreement is a reminder "that reconciliation is not a concession, but an act of courage," ASEAN host Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

In July, the Thai and Cambodian armed forces engaged in almost a week of fierce fighting along the 800-kilometre border between the two countries.

More than 40 people were killed in the fighting and hundreds of thousands were displaced from the region.

Eighteen soldiers from Cambodia are still being held as prisoners of war in Thailand. They will now be released, Trump said in a speech - and added that he was proud to have contributed to the resolution of this conflict.

After Trump intervened in the conflict, the South-East Asian neighbours agreed on a ceasefire at a meeting in Malaysia at the end of July.

According to the Thai Ministry of Defence, the peace agreement includes the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the border area and joint demining.

The conflict between the two countries has been smouldering for decades. And despite the agreement on a ceasefire, there have been repeated incidents at the border in recent months.

Photo: EPA