The Asia Cross Country Rally had to make some last-minute chances to its 2025 route. On Friday, a day before the start of the rally, officials agreed to call off the fourth and sixth stages because they ran too close to the Thai–Cambodian border.

August 12 and August 14 have been turned into rest days as a result.

Visut Sukosi, the AXCR’s Clerk of the Course, published the following bulletin on Friday:

For safety reason, due to border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. SS 4 and 6 has canceled because of the rally route are close to border. Leg 4 and Leg 6 will be the rest day.

Stage 4 was supposed to take the rally from Khao Yai to Prachinburi, the latter of which is also hosting the SS1 finish. Prachinburi was supposed to then have a loop for SS5 and SS6 before heading back to Pattaya on August 15.

Although Prachinburi is comfortably safe from the border and the conflict there, the courses for Stages 4 and 6 ran eastward toward the border before looping back. With how close they get to the border, organizers figured it would be too risky.

Cambodia and Thailand are currently in a ceasefire, though both sides have accused the other of violating it. The latter’s army announced Saturday that three Thai soldiers were injured by a landmine while patrolling the border and blamed Cambodia for laying it in disregard for the Ottawa Convention.

Due to the conflict, the AXCR had to call off its initial plans of starting the race in Thailand and finishing in Cambodia. Cambodian team VKH Racing and the Vietnamese outfit VietNam Rally Team also withdrew because they were unable to cross the border into Thailand for the race.