
Thai ex-ranger arrested for punching Cambodian soldier
According to Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the Royal Thai Army, the Suranaree Task Force reported at 10.20am that a Thai tourist hit a Cambodian soldier who was part of a coordination team at Ta Muen Thom temple ruins. The man punched the Cambodian officer from behind and in front before fleeing.
Thai officials later arrested the man.
The army spokesman identified the man as former paramilitary ranger Sommai Srisukranan, the leader of a paramilitary ranger club at the Pak Thong Chai camp in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The arrested man also leads a war veterans' network in Samut Sakhon province.
claims as its own territory.

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Bangkok Post
7 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
House committee condemns Cambodian violations of international rules
The House Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice and Human Rights has issued a strong condemnation of Cambodia, accusing it of violating international treaties amid tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border that claimed many lives of civilians and troops. Committee chairman Kamolsak Leewamoh, a Prachachat MP for Narathiwat province joined members on Thursday at a press conference to express deep regret over the intensifying violence along the border and extended condolences to all those affected, including families of soldiers and civilians. Mr Kamolsak said the panel, which is duty-bound to monitor Thailand's compliance with the rule of law and international obligations, saw fit to document and respond to violations that undermine peace, stability and fundamental human rights. On July 23, a Thai soldier was critically injured when a landmine exploded in Nam Yuen district of Ubon Ratchathani province — an act deemed a violation of the Ottawa Convention, to which Cambodia and Thailand are signatories, said the panel chairman. The following day, a Cambodian drone reportedly entered Thai airspace near the Ta Muen Thom ruins in Phanom Dongrak district of Surin province before Cambodian forces opened fire on a Thai military base at about 6pm, escalating the situation rapidly. The following morning, Cambodian forces launched BM-21 rockets into civilian bases in Kap Choeng district of Surin, causing many injuries. Worse still, continued shelling targeted residential zones and civilian infrastructure across several provinces, including Buri Ram, Surin, Ubon Ratchathani and Si Sa Ket in the lower Northeast of Thailand. Among the damaged sites were homes, a petrol station and 7-Eleven where eight civilians died, and the Phanom Dong Rak Hospital. Cambodia's attacks resulted in 13 civilian deaths in all, 32 injuries and casualties among Thai troops — one death and 14 injuries, said the House panel. The indiscriminate targeting of civilians and non-military infrastructure, it argued, clearly violates the Geneva Conventions, particularly the principles of distinction and proportionality. The actions may also amount to war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, said the panel. On July 25, the Thai military officially confirmed that Cambodian forces initiated the hostilities, suggesting a pattern of deliberate and systematic aggression. The committee stated that Cambodia's conduct constitutes clear violations of: The Ottawa Convention, by deploying anti-personnel mines; The Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law, by targeting civilians and civilian objects indiscriminately; The Rome Statute, for potential war crimes involving attacks on civilians and medical facilities. The committee urged an immediate halt to violence and a return to peaceful dialogue as the path toward conflict resolution. It also condemned false and misleading statements that contradict official accounts provided by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government and the Parliament speaker. It demanded that Cambodia cease the dissemination of disinformation, which could exacerbate the crisis. The committee reaffirmed the need for transparent dialogue, accountability and sustained peace-building efforts in the border region. It stressed that strict adherence to international law is essential to prevent further loss of life and to restore the rule of law.

Bangkok Post
8 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Insurers won't help owner of bombed PTT station
SI SA KET - The owner of a PTT petrol station and 7-Eleven store where a Cambodian rocket strike killed eight people on July 24 faces at least 14 million baht in damages with no compensation in sight from insurers or the government. Kamolrat Phonsetthalert says she has been unable to eat or sleep since the attack seven days ago, and has needed psychiatric treatment for the trauma of witnessing the destruction. The rocket strike, which also injured 13 people, has forced the closure of the station at Ban Phue in Kantharalak district for at least two months while repairs are undertaken. More than 50 employees face uncertain income prospects during the shutdown, said Ms Kamolrat. The business was insured by two companies, but the first explicitly excludes war damage coverage, whether direct or indirect, even if the government declares the area a war disaster zone, she said. The second insurer only covers structural damage partially. Government assistance remains unclear. Deputy Energy Minister Fuangwit Anirutthewa visited the site on Thursday to assess damage and promised to propose compensation measures, but no concrete details have emerged. Ms Kamolrat criticised authorities for failing to provide advance warning of the emergency. The rocket struck in the morning of July 24, but the warning system was only activated at 3-4pm in the afternoon. She emphasised that the attack was something that could not have been predicted and was not the fault of business operators. She called for government intervention to help many entrepreneurs who suffered similar damage as a result of the border hostilities.

Bangkok Post
9 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Landmines block Thai military from securing temple site
A field of unexpected and illegally laid landmines blocked Thai soldiers from securing the Ta Kwai temple ruins in Surin province before the ceasefire with Cambodia took effect, according to the Royal Thai Army. The area in Phanom Dong Rak district was the last spot being contested by Thai and Cambodian forces before the agreement to withdraw troops took effect at 12am on Tuesday, spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree told a press conference at army headquarters in Bangkok on Thursday. According to Maj Gen Winthai, Thai soldiers had not been deployed at the Ta Kwai ruins because they could have been easy targets for Cambodian troops on the nearby and taller Hill 350. In the evening before the ceasefire took effect, Thai soldiers tried to take control of both the Ta Kwai site and Hill 350 but did not expect to face landmines that were laid around the ancient temple. One army officer was seriously injured when a landmine exploded during the attempt, and the military had to weigh the prospects for completing the military operation against the effects on soldiers' morale, Maj Gen Winthai said. 'The injury from the landmine field had an impact on our last attempt to advance,' he added. When the ceasefire took effect, Thai soldiers did not have control of the temple but they occupied more areas than they had done before the border clashes. The area now under Thai control includes land adjacent to the temple ruins, but Thai soldiers could do nothing when Cambodian soldiers entered the ruins themselves, Maj Gen Winthai said. He said it was evident that landmines were used in the Ta Kwai area, in violation of the Ottawa Treaty which bans anti-personnel mines, the army spokesman said. Pictures of Cambodian soldiers at Ta Kwai showed bunches of Russian-made PMN-2 landmines left at the temple ruins, indicating that a large number were used, he added.