Cambodia to implement military conscription in 2026: PM
Cambodia's parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced.
Relations with neighbouring Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes killing one Cambodian soldier.
"This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and set our targets to reform our military," Hun Manet said at a ceremony at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Centre in central Kampong Chhnang province.
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CNA
40 minutes ago
- CNA
Thailand accuses Cambodia of avoiding 'meaningful dialogue' as border conflict rages on
BANGKOK: Thailand has accused Cambodia of deliberately avoiding 'meaningful dialogue' to resolve a violent conflict between the two countries, as deadly cross-border attacks and mounting civilian casualties escalate the worst bout of fighting in years. Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Cherdchai Chaivaivid told a closed-door UN Security Council meeting on Friday (Jul 25) that Phnom Penh had rebuffed efforts at dialogue. 'It is deeply regrettable that Cambodia has deliberately avoided meaningful dialogue and instead sought to internationalise the issue to serve its own political objectives,' said Cherdchai. Thailand's foreign ministry published a statement of his remarks online on Saturday morning. 'Thailand urges Cambodia to immediately cease all hostilities and acts of aggression, and resume dialogue in good faith,' the ambassador said. He added that Thailand has 'actively engaged' Cambodia over the past two months through multiple bilateral mechanisms, including a so-called Joint Boundary Commission after a late-May skirmish that resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier. After the UN Security Council in New York, Cambodia's UN ambassador Chhea Keo said his country wanted a ceasefire. "Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire - unconditionally - and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute," Keo told reporters. "UNLAWFUL AND INDISCRIMINATE" More than 30 people have been killed in the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in 13 years. Both countries have accused each other of starting the conflict, which boiled over drastically on Thursday. According to Cherdchai, Cambodia started the conflict on Thursday, asserting that Cambodian artillery opened fire on a Thai military outpost Ta Muen Thom, Surin province, followed by troops carrying out 'indiscriminate attacks' on four Thai provinces. 'This act of aggression, unlawful and indiscriminate - and let me stress the word indiscriminate - armed attacks have caused serious harms and sufferings to innocent civilians,' he said. Cherdchai showed pictures of civilian casualties to the Security Council, according to the Thai foreign ministry statement. The ambassador accused Cambodia of 'indiscriminate and inhumane attacks' on civilians, civilian infrastructure and public facilities such as hospitals, saying they violated the Geneva Convention and UN Charter. The ambassador said Thailand had exercised 'utmost restraint' but was now compelled to act in self-defence following deadly cross-border shelling, landmine incidents and mounting civilian casualties. In Thursday's clashes, Cambodia fired rockets and artillery shells into Thailand, and the Thai military scrambled F-16 jets to carry out air strikes. The ambassador said Thailand 'categorically rejects' the use of force to resolve international disputes, while remaining firmly committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes. Thailand has accused Cambodia of deliberately attacking civilians, while Phnom Penh has criticised Bangkok for using cluster munitions, controversial and widely condemned. Cherdchai acknowledged that cluster munitions were deployed, but said that they were used 'exclusively to target military objectives'. 'All measures are directed at legitimate military targets, with every effort made to avoid civilian harm,' Cherdchai said, adding that Thailand's response was 'strictly limited in scope, proportionate and targeted solely at neutralising the imminent danger.' The ambassador also rebuffed accusations by Phnom Penh that Thailand attacked the surrounding area and structures of Preah Vihear Temple. Fighting on Thursday was focused on six locations, according to the Thai army, including around two ancient temples. Cherdchai said the Cambodian assertions were 'baseless, regrettable and profoundly disappointing', and amounted to a 'dissemination of disinformation'. According to Phnom Penh's defence ministry, the death toll in Cambodia has risen to 13 - five soldiers and eight civilians - with more than 35,000 people forced to flee their homes. On the Thai side, its health ministry reported 15 fatalities - 14 civilians and a soldier - with a further 46 wounded, including 15 troops. The ministry also said more than 138,000 people have been evacuated from its border regions.
CNA
7 hours ago
- CNA
Cambodia calls for ceasefire with Thailand after deadly clashes
UNITED NATIONS: Cambodia wants an "immediate ceasefire" with Thailand, the country's envoy to the United Nations said Friday (Jul 25), after the neighbours traded deadly strikes for a second day, with Bangkok also signalling an openness to talks. A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, prompting the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis on Friday. "Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire - unconditionally - and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute," said Phnom Penh's UN ambassador Chhea Keo following a closed meeting of the Council attended by Cambodia and Thailand. A steady thump of artillery strikes could be heard from the Cambodian side of the border Friday, where the province of Oddar Meanchey reported one civilian - a 70-year-old man - had been killed and five more wounded. More than 138,000 people have been evacuated from Thailand's border regions, its health ministry said, reporting 15 fatalities - 14 civilians and a soldier - with a further 46 wounded, including 15 troops. Fighting resumed in three areas around 4am on Friday, the Thai army said, with Cambodian forces firing heavy weapons, field artillery, and BM-21 rocket systems, and Thai troops responding "with appropriate supporting fire". Thai Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nikorndej Balankura told AFP that fighting had begun to ease off by Friday afternoon, however, adding that Bangkok was open to talks, possibly aided by Malaysia. "We are ready, if Cambodia would like to settle this matter via diplomatic channels, bilaterally, or even through Malaysia, we are ready to do that. But so far we have not had any response," Nikorndej told AFP, speaking before the UN meeting had been held. Malaysia currently holds the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members. Earlier, acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai had warned that if the situation escalated, "it could develop into war". "For now, it remains limited to clashes," he told reporters in Bangkok. ONGOING DISPUTE Both sides blamed each other for firing first, while Thailand accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a petrol station hit by at least one rocket. At the UN, Cambodia's envoy questioned Thailand's assertion that his country, which is smaller and less militarily developed than its neighbour, had initiated the conflict. "(The Security Council) called for both parties to (show) maximum restraint and resort to a diplomatic solution. That is what we are calling for as well," said Chhea Keo. None of the other attendees of the UNSC meeting spoke to reporters. The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbours - both popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists - over their shared 800km border. Dozens of kilometres in several areas are contested, and fighting broke out between 2008 and 2011, leaving at least 28 people dead and tens of thousands displaced. A UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for over a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new clash. "WE ARE SCARED" Fighting on Thursday was focused on six locations, according to the Thai army, including around two ancient temples. Ground troops backed up by tanks battled for control of territory, while Cambodia fired rockets and shells into Thailand and the Thais scrambled F-16 jets to hit military targets across the border. In the Cambodian town of Samraong, 20km from the border, AFP journalists saw families speeding away in vehicles with their children and belongings as gunfire erupted. "I live very close to the border. We are scared," Pro Bak, 41, told AFP.
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
Brazil scrambles as U.S. tariff deadline looms, talks stall
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