Top US general in Asia-Pacific visits Cambodia to boost relations
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The top U.S. Army officer for the Asia-Pacific region was in Cambodia on Monday in the latest visit by U.S. officials aimed at improving estranged ties between the two nations and their militaries.
The two-day visit by a delegation led by Gen. Ronald P. Clark, commanding general of the United States Army Pacific, comes against a background of rocky relations with Cambodia, whose government Washington has long criticized for political repression and human rights violations.
There is also particular concern about its close ties with China. The United States and others fear that China's navy may have been given exclusive access to a base at Ream on the Gulf of Thailand, which would allow it to more easily project its power from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean.
China is Cambodia's most important ally and benefactor, with a strong influence on its economy.
A Cambodian army press release said the country's military chief Gen. Mao Sophan in his meeting with Clark discussed cooperation in defense, trade, tourism, culture, counterterrorism, peacekeeping and demining as well as the recovery of missing American military personnel during the Vietnam War.
The two also discussed the possible resumption of the joint Angkor Sentinel military exercises, last held in 2016.
A statement issued by Prime Minister Hun Manet said the U.S. general expressed his interest and appreciation for Cambodia sending U.N. peacekeepers to several countries around the world.
Hun Manet thanked the U.S. government for supporting Cambodia in clearing unexploded ordnance. Decades of war that ended in the late 1990s left 4 million to 6 million land mines and other unexploded munitions, including U.S. bombs.
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San Francisco Chronicle
14 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Public employees in Iraq's Kurdish region caught in the middle of Baghdad-Irbil oil dispute
BAGHDAD (AP) — Tensions have escalated between Iraq's central government in Baghdad and the semiautonomous Kurdish region in the country's north in a long-running dispute over the sharing of oil revenues. The central government has accused the Kurdish regional authorities of making illegal deals and facilitating oil smuggling. Baghdad cut off funding for public sector salaries in the Kurdish region ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. Kurdish authorities called the move 'collective punishment' and threatened to retaliate. A long-running dispute It's the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute between officials in Baghdad and Irbil, the seat of the Kurdish regional government, over sharing of oil revenues. In 2014, the Kurdish region decided to unilaterally export oil through an independent pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The central government considers it illegal for Irbil to export oil without going through the Iraqi national oil company and filed a case against Turkey in the International Court of Arbitration, arguing that Turkey was violating the provisions of the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline agreement signed in 1973. Iraq stopped sending oil through the pipeline in March 2023 after the arbitration court ruled in Baghdad's favor. Attempts to reach a deal to restart exports have repeatedly stalled. Last month, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Iraqi Kurdish regional government traveled to Washington, where he inked two major energy deals with U.S. companies. The federal government in Baghdad then sued in an Iraqi court, asserting that it was illegal for the regional government to make the deals without going through Baghdad. Iraq cuts off funds for public employees in the Kurdish region The Iraqi Ministry of Finance announced a decision last month to halt funding for salaries of public sector employees in the Kurdish region. The move sparked widespread outrage in Irbil, triggering strong political and public reactions. The ministry said in a statement that the decision was due to the Kurdish regional authorities' 'failure to hand over oil and non-oil revenues to the federal treasury, as stipulated in the federal budget laws.' It added that any transfer of funds would be conditional on 'the region's commitment to transparency and financial accountability.' The federal Ministry of Oil accused Irbil of failing to deliver crude oil produced in the region's fields to the ministry for export through the state-run SOMO company, which it said had led to massive financial losses amounting to billions of dollars. The ministry warned that 'continued non-compliance jeopardizes Iraq's international reputation and obligations, forcing the federal government to reduce oil production in other provinces to stay within Iraq's OPEC quota — which includes Iraqi Kurdish production, regardless of its legality.' Accusations of oil smuggled out of the Kurdish region Baghdad has also accused Irbil of smuggling oil out of the country. An Iraqi official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly said the government had tracked 240 cases of illegal border crossings from Iraq's Kurdish region into Iran between Dec. 25, 2024, and May 24, 2025, aimed at smuggling oil derivatives. The Kurdish region's Ministry of Natural Resources in a statement called those allegations 'a smokescreen to distract from widespread corruption and smuggling in other parts of Iraq. The KRG agreed to sell its oil through SOMO, opened an escrow account, and handed over revenues — yet Baghdad failed to meet its financial obligations.' It accused the federal government of being responsible for the halt in oil exports via Turkey due to the lawsuit it filed in 2023 and said the Kurdish region had delivered over 11 million barrels of oil to the Ministry of Oil without receiving any financial compensation. The ministry accused Baghdad of 'violating the constitution and pursuing a deliberate policy of collective punishment and starvation against the people" of the Kurdish region through the halt in funding for salaries. Barzani in a statement on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday described the withholding of salaries as an 'unjust and oppressive decision' and a 'policy of mass starvation' comparable to the chemical attacks and 'genocide' launched by Iraq's former longtime strongman ruler, Saddam Hussein, against the Kurds. The Iraqi Kurdish people "have resisted with steadfastness and courage in the face of all forms of pressure and tyranny' and 'regret was the fate of the tyrants," he said. In the meantime, residents of the Kurdish region feel caught in the middle of the yearslong political dispute once again. Saman Ali Salah, a public school teacher from the city of Sulaimaniyah, said the salary cutoff comes at a particularly bad time for him — his daughter was hit by a car 40 days ago and is still in the hospital. He blamed both Baghdad and Irbil for the situation. 'All the money I had was spent on transportation from the house to the hospital and I haven't paid my rent for the past two months," Salah said. 'I don't know what to do. All I can say is that God will take revenge on these so-called officials on Judgement Day.'
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Public employees in Iraq's Kurdish region caught in the middle of Baghdad-Irbil oil dispute
BAGHDAD (AP) — Tensions have escalated between Iraq's central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the country's north in a long-running dispute over the sharing of oil revenues. The central government has accused the Kurdish regional authorities of making illegal deals and facilitating oil smuggling. Baghdad cut off funding for public sector salaries in the Kurdish region ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. Kurdish authorities called the move 'collective punishment' and threatened to retaliate. A long-running dispute It's the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute between officials in Baghdad and Irbil, the seat of the Kurdish regional government, over sharing of oil revenues. In 2014, the Kurdish region decided to unilaterally export oil through an independent pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The central government considers it illegal for Irbil to export oil without going through the Iraqi national oil company and filed a case against Turkey in the International Court of Arbitration, arguing that Turkey was violating the provisions of the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline agreement signed in 1973. Iraq stopped sending oil through the pipeline in March 2023 after the arbitration court ruled in Baghdad's favor. Attempts to reach a deal to restart exports have repeatedly stalled. Last month, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government traveled to Washington, where he inked two major energy deals with U.S. companies. The federal government in Iraq then sued in an Iraqi court, asserting that it was illegal for the regional government to make the deals without going through Baghdad. Iraq cuts off funds for public employees in Kurdistan The Iraqi Ministry of Finance announced a decision last month to halt funding for salaries of public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region. The move sparked widespread outrage in Irbil, triggering strong political and public reactions. The ministry said in a statement that the decision was due to the Kurdish regional authorities' 'failure to hand over oil and non-oil revenues to the federal treasury, as stipulated in the federal budget laws.' It added that any transfer of funds would be conditional on 'the region's commitment to transparency and financial accountability.' The federal Ministry of Oil accused Irbil of failing to deliver crude oil produced in the region's fields to the ministry for export through the state-run SOMO company, which it said had led to massive financial losses amounting to billions of dollars. 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The KRG agreed to sell its oil through SOMO, opened an escrow account, and handed over revenues — yet Baghdad failed to meet its financial obligations.' It accused the federal government of being responsible for the halt in oil exports via Turkey due to the lawsuit it filed in 2023 and said the Kurdish region had delivered over 11 million barrels of oil to the Ministry of Oil without receiving any financial compensation. The ministry accused Baghdad of 'violating the constitution and pursuing a deliberate policy of collective punishment and starvation against the people of the Kurdistan Region' through the halt in funding for salaries. Barzani in a statement on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday described the withholding of salaries as an 'unjust and oppressive decision' and a 'policy of mass starvation' comparable to the chemical attacks and 'genocide' launched by Iraq's former longtime strongman ruler, Saddam Hussein, against the Kurds. 'The people of Kurdistan have resisted with steadfastness and courage in the face of all forms of pressure and tyranny' and 'regret was the fate of the tyrants," he said. In the meantime, residents of the Kurdish region feel caught in the middle of the yearslong political dispute once again. Saman Ali Salah, a public school teacher from the city of Sulaimaniyah, said the salary cutoff comes at a particularly bad time for him — his daughter was hit by a car 40 days ago and is still in the hospital. He blamed both Baghdad and Irbil for the situation. 'All the money I had was spent on transportation from the house to the hospital and I haven't paid my rent for the past two months," Salah said. 'I don't know what to do. All I can say is that God will take revenge on these so-called officials on Judgement Day.' ___ Associated Press journalist Salam Salim in Irbil, Iraq contributed to this report. 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LA Clashes Escalate as Trump, Newsom Spar Over National Guard
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The heightened federal response over the objections of state and city officials led to growing friction between local leaders and the Trump administration. Newsom said he formally requested the White House rescind the 'unlawful' deployment and return the troops to his command, warning it would only ramp up tensions. The governor also said Sunday that he planned to sue the administration over the action. LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Sunday evening many of the earlier protests around the city had been peaceful, but that conditions deteriorated as people committing vandalism and violence replaced daytime demonstrators. 'This violence that I've seen is disgusting,' McDonnell said at a press conference. 'What we saw the first night was was bad. What we've seen subsequent to that is getting increasingly worse and more violent.' In a series of Truth Social posts late Sunday, Trump described the unrest as an attack on immigration enforcement efforts. 'A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by illegal aliens and criminals,' he wrote. Trump called the demonstrations 'migrant riots' and said federal agencies were directed to take 'all such action necessary' to restore order and continue deportation operations. He later urged law enforcement to escalate their response, including arresting people wearing face masks. Meanwhile, Newsom urged protesters to remain peaceful, an admonition some demonstrators ignored as crowds blocked a major roadway through downtown and people set fire to several self-driving ride-hailing vehicles nearby. Newsom met Sunday evening with law enforcement leaders in Los Angeles, he posted on X. 'We're here to keep the peace — not play into Trump's political games,' he wrote. According to LAPD officials, nearly 30 people were arrested Saturday. At least 10 arrests were made Sunday and three officers were injured. The California Highway Patrol made 17 arrests and the LAPD said more are likely as the immigration raids continue and the violence that's already taken place is investigated. Federal law enforcement officials clashed briefly with a smaller group of demonstrators earlier on Sunday when a crowd gathered outside a federal building in downtown LA. The LAPD declared the gathering an unlawful assembly, using less than lethal munitions, like tear gas and batons to chase the crowd back. The LAPD said some people in the crowd threw bottles, chunks of concrete and other objects. The ICE raids are sending a sense of fear and chaos into the city, LA Mayor Karen Bass said during a press conference late Sunday afternoon, adding that people who want to protest should do so peacefully. The First Amendment grants a right to peaceful protest 'but it does not give you the right to be violent to create chaos, or to vandalize property, and that will not be tolerated,' she said. National Guard The tense demonstration follows two days of protests sparked by sweeping US immigration raids across the region. Trump directed US Northern Command to assume control of the National Guard and dispatch 2,000 soldiers to the area 'for 60 days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense,' the White House said in a statement. About 300 soldiers from the California National Guard's 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team have been deployed to three locations in greater LA, according to US Northern Command. The Guard is focused on 'safety and protection of federal property and personnel,' the command said in a post on X. The 79th IBCT is primarily a combat unit, though it has previously been called up to support civilian authorities, and a unit most recently responded to the LA-area wildfires earlier this year. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Marines could be sent next if protests intensify. Newsom called Hegseth's suggestion of deploying the Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton 'deranged.' Hegseth on Sunday countered that Newsom had allowed violence to get out of hand. 'Deranged = allowing your city to burn & law enforcement to be attacked,' Hegseth said in a post on X. 'There is plenty of room for peaceful protest, but ZERO tolerance for attacking federal agents who are doing their job. The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE.' Facing mounting pressure from the White House, ICE has ramped up arrests in recent weeks, averaging about 2,000 detentions per day nationwide — still falling short of the administration's goal of at least 3,000 daily arrests. The stepped-up enforcement is part of Trump's vow to carry out the largest deportation campaign in US history. In the LA area, ICE reported 118 arrests this week, though the agency has not released updated figures as of Sunday morning. The protests were triggered in part by federal immigration raids that swept through the city from late Friday. Demonstrators gathered outside the federal building downtown, including outside a detention center. Other protests broke out in Compton and in Paramount, south of the city, where a crowd formed near a Home Depot as raids were reportedly underway. Tensions escalated when some protesters threw objects at officers, prompting the LAPD to declare an unlawful assembly and order the crowd to disperse, according to local media reports. Riot police used tear gas and flash-bang grenades. US Representative Nanette Barragan, a Democrat whose district includes Paramount and other parts of Los Angeles County, accused the Trump administration of using federal troops to suppress dissent. By the time the more violent skirmishes broke out Saturday night, the original protesters had already cleared out and the 'unruly folks' had arrived, she said. 'It's going to escalate the situation,' she said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. 'People are going to protest because they're angry about the situation. And we have to just reiterate the people to do it peacefully.' Barragan described ICE agents stopping 'anybody at a bus stop that's going to shop' and said she was warned to expect 30 days of stepped-up enforcement. 'Form of Rebellion' Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off federal funding to cities and states that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities — so-called 'sanctuary' jurisdictions — including LA. California law bars local law enforcement from using resources to assist in most federal immigration actions. In response to past federal crackdowns, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has defended the state's sanctuary policies and sued the Trump administration over attempts to force local compliance, arguing that California has the right to set its own public safety priorities. In an interview with NBC News, Trump border czar Tom Homan said Newsom and Bass should be thanking the president for helping to restore order. Homan warned the leaders could face arrest if they obstruct immigration enforcement efforts. The White House said the National Guard was being deployed to protect federal personnel and property, including immigration detention centers, citing what Trump described as credible threats of violence that could obstruct enforcement efforts and 'constitute a form of rebellion' against the US government. But the legal basis for the decision could face challenges. Federal law strictly limits the deployment of federal troops within US borders. The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, along with amendments and supporting regulations, generally bars the use of the active-duty U.S. military — the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines — from carrying out domestic law enforcement. The law doesn't apply to state-controlled National Guard forces. --With assistance from María Paula Mijares Torres, Catherine Lucey, Isabela Fleischmann, Virginia Van Natta, Kevin Whitelaw and Kara Wetzel. (Updates with additional details of protests, law enforcement response. An earlier version was corrected to remove a video that included an erroneous description of Trump's comments on Marines.) The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again Is Elon Musk's Political Capital Spent? What Does Musk-Trump Split Mean for a 'Big, Beautiful Bill'? Cuts to US Aid Imperil the World's Largest HIV Treatment Program ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
