logo
Cambodia takes Thailand to World Court after fatal border clash

Cambodia takes Thailand to World Court after fatal border clash

Cambodia has asked the International Court of Justice to resolve its border disputes with Thailand , after a flare-up in their long-running row led the Southeast Asian neighbours to mobilise troops on both sides of the border.
A Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief skirmish on May 28 in a confrontation over the 820km (510-mile) frontier, parts of which are undemarcated and claimed by both nations.
'Cambodia chooses a peaceful resolution based on international law through the ICJ mechanism for solving the border dispute,' Prime Minister Hun Manet posted on his Facebook page.
The post showed a picture of Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn holding an envelope that Hun Manet said contained a formal letter to the ICJ in The Hague, often called the World Court.
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn with a formal letter to the ICJ in The Hague. Photo: Facebook/Hun-Manet
The Thai Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cambodia's move. Bangkok has previously said it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers to settle the disputes through bilateral mechanisms.
Talks on border demarcation over the weekend between officials from both countries were inconclusive, with both sides pledging to de-escalate tensions and continue dialogue.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Malaysia's AI dreams: a victim of the US-China tech war?
Malaysia's AI dreams: a victim of the US-China tech war?

South China Morning Post

timea day ago

  • South China Morning Post

Malaysia's AI dreams: a victim of the US-China tech war?

When Malaysia unveiled its National Artificial Intelligence Roadmap in 2022, it promised a future of innovation and prosperity. But as geopolitical tensions mount, the country's aspirations risk being stifled by forces it struggles to control: tariffs, export bans and a global scramble for the chips that power tomorrow's technology. That road map for 2021 to 2025 placed particular emphasis on AI applications in supply chains; agriculture and forestry; medical and healthcare; smart cities and transport; and education and the public sector. Last year, the establishment of a National AI Office marked the government's renewed commitment to building out Malaysia's AI ecosystem, extending its focus to include micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Yet Malaysia's AI journey is only just beginning. As the minister of science, technology and innovation has noted, only 13 per cent of smaller companies have adopted AI – despite them comprising 97 per cent of Malaysia's businesses. The AI start-up scene is similarly nascent, with only a handful of fledgling firms harnessing machine learning, computer vision and robotics to create and commercialise new AI-powered solutions. An AI chip made by American multinational corporation AMD is seen on display at a convention centre in California. Photo: Reuters Crucially, both the road map and the National AI Office operate on the implicit assumption that Malaysia will continue to import AI chips, since the country's semiconductor industry is anchored in the assembly, packaging and testing stages, with no domestic manufacturing of AI chips. These chips are sourced from mainland China, Taiwan and the United States; Malaysia does not produce them locally. As such, US export restrictions, particularly on state-of-the-art Nvidia chips, threaten to stymie Malaysia's AI ambitions. Efforts to curb semiconductor diversion to China already appear to be under way. On July 5, Bloomberg reported that the US Commerce Department intended to require export licences for Nvidia's advanced AI chips bound for Malaysia and Thailand, aiming to block China from acquiring them through third countries or smuggling. To date, no formal rule has been issued, but the proposed ban follows allegations that a Chinese company attempted to train AI models in Malaysian data centres using Nvidia chips. While Malaysian authorities are investigating, Nvidia has been allowed to resume exports from the US to China since last month as part of a trade deal involving access to rare earth minerals. How long this arrangement will last is uncertain, as is its impact on US concerns about chip transshipment through Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia. US President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order at an AI summit in Washington on July 23. /AFP

How Southeast Asia haggled with erratic US economic might
How Southeast Asia haggled with erratic US economic might

South China Morning Post

timea day ago

  • South China Morning Post

How Southeast Asia haggled with erratic US economic might

And so it has come to this. After months of threats, intensive shuttle diplomacy and last-minute trade negotiations, Washington's new tariff regime has finally come into force. Advertisement For Southeast Asia, whose nations jostled for favour – and relief – from a White House wielding economic might with Donald Trump 's trademark unpredictability, this ledger of punitive levies has laid bare the US president's vision for a new global trade order: one underpinned by 'reciprocal' transactions. The wide spectrum of tariffs that took effect last week offers a telling window, not only onto the value the United States assigns to its trading partners, but also the concessions they made. Trump's sweeping executive order, issued on July 31, imposed tariffs that came into force from Thursday on a host of nations. Most Southeast Asian countries ended up with rates between 19 and 20 per cent – a figure that analysts say now serves as a de facto 'baseline' for future trade negotiations with the US. Vendors sell their wares in Vientiane. Landlocked Laos, a country of only 8 million, has been hit with a 40 per cent tariff by the US. Photo: AFP Laos and Myanmar , meanwhile, found themselves singled out for far harsher treatment, facing tariffs of 40 per cent. Advertisement

Trump's overhaul of State Department may play into Beijing's hands for decades
Trump's overhaul of State Department may play into Beijing's hands for decades

South China Morning Post

time2 days ago

  • South China Morning Post

Trump's overhaul of State Department may play into Beijing's hands for decades

During nearly three decades as a US diplomat in China, Southeast Asia and Africa, Matt Ingeneri watched his Chinese counterparts dispense prestigious scholarships, hold lavish banquets and conduct expensive national day celebrations. 'They are very good hosts and can be really charming when they want to be,' Ingeneri, now in the private sector, said, adding that the US State Department budgets were far smaller and corruption concerns greater. 'We had a hot dog on a Ritz cracker.' But Chinese officials also mixed their soft power with unbending deportment when espousing Beijing's red lines, he added. 'It's all fun and games – until you want to keep your claim to the South China Sea.' The US effort to counter China's growing global footprint is difficult enough. President Donald Trump's radical State Department overhaul is not making it any easier and could play into Beijing's hands for decades, according to lawmakers and past and current department officials. 'Our competition with China requires all hands on deck. It's global in nature. It affects virtually every issue, every topic that crosses borders,' said Mark Lambert, a 35-year State Department veteran and former head of its China House overseeing Beijing-focused diplomacy. 'We just gutted [development programmes] ourselves, a huge win for China.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store