Thailand dissolves parliament amid escalating border strife with Cambodia

Thailand’s king has approved the dissolution of parliament, deepening political instability in the Southeast Asian nation ahead of an attempt by the U.S. to salvage a fragile ceasefire with Cambodia.

In a royal decree published Friday, King Maha Vajiralongkorn endorsed a request by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to dissolve parliament after his minority government failed to reach an agreement with the majority opposition People’s Party on proposed constitutional changes.

Under Thai law, a general election must be held within 45 to 60 days of the decree.

The opposition had reportedly threatened to file a motion of no confidence after Anutin’s government pushed to expand the powers of elected lawmakers under a planned constitution overhaul.

In a post on Facebook late Thursday, Anutin said he would “return power to the people.”

The political turmoil came as the Southeast Asian nation has been locked in a large-scale spat with Cambodia over long-disputed border claims. Tensions escalated this week as fierce clashes broke out at several locations along the border, which have reportedly killed at least 20 people and left dozens of civilians injured.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to speak with the leaders of the two countries soon, with Anutin saying the call has been scheduled for 9:20 p.m. Thailand time on Friday (8:20 a.m. Eastern).

Anutin, who assumed office in September after Paetongtarn Shinawatra was dismissed by Thailand’s Constitutional Court for an ethics violation related to the Cambodia dispute, has taken a tougher stance in the border clashes, a move that could fuel nationalist support for his conservative Bhumjaithai party ahead of the election.

Dissolving parliament would not affect Thailand’s military operations along the frontier, Anutin told local media outlets Friday.

Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy has grappled with tepid growth this year, expanding just 1.2% in the third quarter as the extended political turmoil, tariff uncertainty with the U.S. and border conflicts weighed on confidence.

Thailand’s benchmark SET Index, ranked among the world’s worst-performing equity gauges for 2025, has lost around 10% so far this year. The baht has been relatively resilient, strengthening over 7% this year against the greenback amid weakness in the dollar.

The latest tensions followed the collapse of a fragile ceasefire brokered in July by Trump, who threatened to halt trade talks with the two countries unless they ended the fight.

Thailand’s top diplomat,…