Fresh warning for Australian travellers amid 'deep concern' over Thailand-Cambodia clash
"We urge both sides to de-escalate and resolve border issues peacefully."
Travel advice for Thailand and Cambodia As of Friday, Smartraveller advised Australians to reconsider their need to travel to the Thai border areas of Buriram, Si Saket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces near the Cambodian border due to armed conflict in the area. This includes "reports of military strikes, violence and landmines", the advice says. "Follow the advice of local authorities, monitor local media for updates and pay close attention to your personal security. Border crossing points along the Thai-Cambodian border continue to be closed at short notice."
Smartraveller continues to advise travellers to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to Thailand overall.
In Cambodia, Australians are urged to reconsider travelling to the border areas of the northern and north-western provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey, while exercising normal safety precautions overall.
Border clashes: What we know so far Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations along the border. Thailand positioned six F-16 fighter jets in an uncommon combat deployment, one of which was mobilised to strike a Cambodian military target — among measures Cambodia's foreign ministry called "reckless and brutal military aggression". Thailand's military said the use of air power was to strike with precision. Thailand said there had been 12 fatalities in three Thai provinces, 11 of them civilians, including an eight-year-old boy. Authorities said 31 people were injured on Thursday.
The number of Cambodian casualties was unclear.
Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers taking shelter in Surin province in north-eastern Thailand. Source: AAP / AP/Sunny Chittawil "We condemn this — using heavy weapons without a clear target, outside of conflict zones ... the use of force and did not adhere to international law," Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters. "We remain committed to peaceful means and there should be discussions, but what happened was a provocation and we had to defend ourselves." In a letter to Pakistan, which currently holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet urged the body to convene a meeting to stop what he called "unprovoked and premeditated military aggression" by Thailand in violation of international law. The two countries have been braced for conflict since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish, with troops reinforced on both sides of the border.
The recent escalation — the worst fighting between the countries in 13 years — came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh and expelled Cambodia's envoy. This was in response to a second Thai soldier losing a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops in the disputed area — an accusation Cambodia called baseless.
A decades-long border dispute Thailand and Cambodia have for decades disputed the jurisdiction of several undemarcated points along their 817km land border.
Ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the Preah Vihear have been central to the disputes.
The clashes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok. Source: AAP / EPA/Kith Serey Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 but tensions escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. That led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths.
In June, Cambodia said it had asked the ICJ to resolve its disputes with Thailand. However, Thailand says it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.
How other countries have responded In the region, the Philippines and Vietnam have called for restraint and China expressed willingness to help promote de-escalation. The United States, a long-time treaty ally of Thailand, called for an immediate end to hostilities. "We are ... gravely concerned by the escalating violence along the Thailand-Cambodia border, and deeply saddened by reports of harm to civilians," the US state department's deputy spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, told a regular news briefing. "The United States urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution of the conflict." With additional reporting by the Reuters news agency.
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The Advertiser
12 hours ago
- The Advertiser
What should you be reading this week? Here are eight new books
Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods. Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods. Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods. Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods.
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Perth Now
'Worst excuse' fuels Moloney as fight gets personal
Andrew Moloney's world title rival is about to find out what happens when you mess with his mother. Australia's former super flyweight world champion will fight Argi Cortes in the off-beat Mexican city of Durango in an IBF world title eliminator on August 16. The fight was first shifted from July 12 to 19 in Monterrey but, up against the Manny Pacquiao and Jesse Rodriguez cards, lost its television deal. The promoter eventually rescheduled the fight to August 9. It wasn't until Moloney (27-4) and his team were on the ground that the date was moved again, this time because friends of the businessman bankrolling the event were busy this weekend and couldn't attend. "It's the worst excuse I've ever heard to push a fight back," Moloney told AAP. "They didn't even try and hide the fact; pretty disrespectful I thought." Moloney's twin brother Jason, dethroned as WBO bantamweight world champion last year, is also in camp. They'll both now miss their mother's 60th birthday getaway, that had already been shifted once to accommodate the second date change. On to their third Durango rental booking, the Moloney team have leant on their sponsors and explained to their children why they're not coming home next week. "I'm looking forward to taking that one out on Argi Cortes," the 34-year-old said. "You've pissed off my mum and let her down, champ. "All she wanted was a birthday with the whole family together, but you've stuffed that up. It's been ridiculous." He is adamant the delays will help though, Moloney confident the five-week stay will have him fully acclimatised to the city's higher altitude and time zone. "They've made a big mistake, because I've got better and better the longer I've been here," he said. "Over the years it's felt like things have never really gone my way, but it's like the stars have aligned." Moloney has reunited with Francisco Pedroza, who lost to his brother Jason in 2022 and has since been used as a sparring partner. Two other sparring partners, one who owns a gym and lives in Durango, have helped Moloney feel right at home. "It's not the place you'd go for a holiday and I'm fighting in his backyard, but I've realised I actually love the feeling of doing it the hard way," he said. The former secondary WBA super flyweight champion beat Migual Gonzalez in his native Chile on the way to his first title strap in 2019. A controversial trilogy loss to Joshua Franco stripped him of that status, before Moloney was knocked out by superstar Junto Nakatani in a 2023 world title fight and then copped a dubious points loss in an interim world title fight in Perth last year. That defeat to another Mexican, Pedro Guevara, prompted a furious Moloney to announce his immediate retirement, a declaration he walked back once the dust had settled. Next weekend's victor will earn mandatory status against current IBF champion Willibaldo Garcia. Cortes (27-4-2), the only man to go the distance with Nakatani in a title fight, is no pushover. "Sometimes you feel like you're in the tunnel and there's no light at the end, but at the moment it's never been more clear," Moloney said. "Beat these two guys in front of me. "I've just got this burning desire to become world champion again. "It's all I've thought about since losing it and I'm so close now, not going to let anything get in the way."
West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
Essential tips for travelling with power banks
After a mid-air fire, Virgin Australia has new policies for power banks, joining many international airlines who have tightened policies for on-board battery pack use, storage and charging. The fire in an overhead compartment was on a Virgin Australia 737-8FE flight from Sydney to Hobart late in July. An overheated battery is suspected to be the cause — and it emphasises the need for them to be in the cabin, where the airline's trained crew can contain the fire, rather than in the aircraft's hold. FCM Travel handles business travel for Flight Centre Travel Group, and is urging passengers to be aware of new requirements. FCM Travel general manager ANZ Renos Rologas says a lot of international carriers that fly in and out of Australia have introduced new requirements. They include Singapore Airlines and its low-cost carrier, Scoot, along with China Airlines, Thai Airways, Korean Airlines, Asiana Airlines, EVA Air and Korean Air. Renos explains: 'A lot of Asian carriers are introducing the new requirements, and it includes many that Australians know and frequent, so it's important that travellers understand these new restrictions and the impact they will have on them. 'Safety is the priority, but there are workarounds and other strategies to make sure you're keeping charged and connected, particularly on the longer-haul trips.' Renos adds: 'My biggest tip is to consider the best device for your journey — laptops are hard to charge on the go, and are a bulky, heavier option. I prefer to have a tablet in my carry-on that has similar functionalities to a laptop, but it's easier to charge onboard and travel with. The FCM Travel team has these tips for staying connected and charged up amidst the new portable charger requirements, in their own words: 1. Make sure you are familiar with your airline's specific policies before you travel — these are available on each carrier's website and vary across airlines and are beginning to change. 2. Get on the flight with a fully charged device — and if you are using your phone, laptop or tablet while you're at the airport waiting to board, try to find a charging port to keep the battery full while you wait to fly. Whether you've got lounge access or are sitting in a cafe at the airport, there are generally plenty of charging ports around. 3. Pack a charging cord in your carry-on that has a USB connection. Most planes, particularly on those longer-haul flights, will have USB plugs that you can plug into directly to charge while you fly. 4. Think about the device you are taking onboard with you — sometimes a laptop is not the most effective way to stay connected, continue working on, or keep entertained from the sky. You can't charge a laptop via the USB plugs onboard. A tablet tends to be the best way to go for a bigger screen, full functionality, and easy charging capability. 5. Make use of the in-flight infotainment systems when they are available. Rather than draining your battery watching a movie on your own device, use the built-in systems where possible. 6. It is important to be aware of where you are plugging in, though. Public USB ports can be compromised by cybercriminals, and places like airports can be hotspots for this. 7. Make sure you are purchasing certified power banks from reputable manufacturers to ensure you and your fellow passengers are not at risk. 8. Never pack your portable charger in your checked luggage. By aviation requirements globally, they must always be carried in the cabin with you.
