Yet up until the recent outbreak that began in late May and ended with a cease-fire on July 28, the two countries were still able to manage bilateral military cooperation after the last of the Khmer Rouge insurgency in Cambodia was defeated in 1998.

A house damaged by Cambodia's shelling is pictured in Sisaket province, ahead of a ceasefire talks in Malaysia on the deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that extended to a fifth day, in Thailand, July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Senior security officials from Cambodia and Thailand began talks in Malaysia on Monday aimed at de-escalating border tensions, after the worst clash between the two Southeast Asian nation neighbors in decades left more than 40 dead.