Bangla Press Desk: Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an "immediate" ceasefire on Saturday, the two countries said in a joint statement, pledging to end border clashes that killed dozens of people.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement "as a positive step towards alleviating the suffering of civilians... and creating an environment conducive to achieving lasting peace", spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
At least 47 people were killed and more than a million displaced in three weeks of fighting with artillery, tanks, drones and jets, according to official tallies.
The conflict spread to nearly every border province on both sides, shattering an earlier truce for which US President Donald Trump took credit.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire, calling on both sides to "immediately honor this commitment".
The ceasefire took effect at 12:00 pm local time (0500 GMT), said the declaration signed by the Southeast Asian neighbours' defence ministers at a border checkpoint on the Thai side.
The truce applies to "all types of weapons, including attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas".
Both sides agreed to freeze all troop movements and allow civilians living in border areas to return home as soon as possible, the statement said.
They also agreed to cooperate on demining efforts and combatting cybercrime, while Thailand was to return 18 captured Cambodian soldiers within 72 hours.
Thai Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit said the initial three-day window would be an "observation period to confirm that the ceasefire is real".
He called the truce "a door to a peaceful resolution" in a speech earlier on Saturday.
Displaced Cambodian Oeum Raksmey told AFP she was "very happy that people can return home" if the fighting stops.
"But I dare not return home yet. I am still scared," said the 22-year-old, who has sheltered with her family in Cambodia's Siem Reap province.
- 'Real peace' -
On the other side of the border, 55-year-old Thai village head Khampong Lueklarp was similarly cautious.
"I personally think the ceasefire won't really happen," said the head of Ban Ta Sawang Samakkee village in Sisaket province, adding he hoped for "a real peace".
The ceasefire followed three days of border talks convened following a crisis meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni, in a post on X, thanked "ASEAN for playing a positive part" and called on Cambodia and Thailand to implement the agreement "in good faith".
The European bloc was ready to provide any needed support, he added.
The United States and China also pushed for an end to the fighting.
Beijing's foreign ministry said the ceasefire "demonstrates that dialogue and consultations are a realistic and effective way of resolving complex disputes", offering support moving forward.
China's top diplomat Wang Yi will host the Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers for talks in Yunnan province on December 28-29, the countries said.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of the 800-kilometre (500-mile) Thai-Cambodian border, where both sides claim ancient temples.
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