Displaced people walk after receiving food at a temporary shelter amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Buriram province, Thailand, December 16, 2025. © REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
(Washington, DC) – US officials are warning Americans against travel to Thailand, as an “armed conflict” has escalated along the Asian country’s border with Cambodia. The US Embassy in Thailand issued the advisory, telling citizens to “avoid all travel within 50 kilometers [about 31 miles] of the Thailand-Cambodia border, due to active hostilities and the unpredictable security situation.”
Conditions are reportedly volatile on both sides, with renewed fighting having erupted on December 7. It’s all connected to a long-standing territorial dispute, which dates back to the French colonial-era. The map drawn at that time is not accepted by Thai government officials.
More than a dozen people have been killed on both sides of the fighting. And at the same time, more than half a million people have been displaced by the conflict — according to The Associated Press.
Key border crossings at Aranyaprathet in Thailand and Poipet in Cambodia have been impacted. They’re vital for both trade and travel, or tourism. Thailand in particular has enjoyed a significant uptick in tourism lately, with more than 24 million international visitors from January to September of this year. Season 3 of HBO’s “White Lotus” has made an impact, with travel to Thailand becoming trendy and popular as a result. But the area along the Thailand-Cambodia border remains dangerous regardless.
In October, a tenuous ceasefire was negotiated by President Donald Trump. That put a stop to five days of intense fighting in July — which left dozens of soldiers as well as civilians dead. In November the ceasefire came under strain, as Thai soldiers were injured by landmines, in contested areas. Following that incident, Thailand suspended parts of the ceasefire agreement.
