Cambodia and Thailand begin talks in Malaysia amid fragile ceasefire
The ceasefire, which came after five days of border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, was reached at a meeting in Malaysia last Monday, with help from the United States and China also observing.
The worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade included exchanges of artillery fire and jet fighter sorties, claiming at least 43 lives and leaving over 300,000 people displaced on both sides of the border.
The ministers of defense of both countries are due to hold a meeting of the General Border Committee to discuss how to maintain the ceasefire, authorities on both sides said.
The Thursday meeting will be observed by representatives from the United States, Chinna and Malaysia.
Mistrust between the two neighbours has lingered despite the ongoing talks, with the Cambodia defence ministry accusing Thailand in a statement of violating the ceasefire agreement by using excavators and laying barbed wire in a contested border area.
Thailand said both sides are maintaining their position without any significant movements.
But "there are reports that the Cambodian side has modified their positions and reinforced their troops in key areas... to replace personnel lost in each area," said Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a Thai military spokesperson.
Cambodia also demanded that Thailand releases 18 of its captured soldiers as soon as possible. Thailand said in a statement that the group are being treated well as "prisoners of war" and will be released after "a complete cessation of the armed conflict, not just a ceasefire."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Trump's NASA chief Sean Duffy expedites timeline for nuclear reactor on the moon
President Donald Trump's NASA chief Sean Duffy has expedited the timeline to build a nuclear reactor on the moon, according to a directive obtained by The Independent . The space agency has already mentioned the benefits of developing fission surface power (FSP) on the moon and Mars. 'Relatively small and lightweight, fission systems are powerful and could enable robust operations on the Moon and Mars,' NASA writes on its website. The agency says it's currently working with the Energy Department and the space industry to design a fission power system that would provide at least 40 kilowatts of power. In a directive sent to the heads of NASA on July 31, Duffy, the acting administrator of the agency and Trump's transportation secretary, ordered that the nuclear reactor provide at least 100 kilowatts of power and be ready to launch by 2030. NASA chief Sean Duffy has expedited the timeline to build a nuclear reactor on the moon, according to a new directive () The directive, first reported on by Politico, mentioned China and Russia's joint effort to place a reactor on the moon by the mid-2030s. The two U.S. adversaries first announced their plans in March 2024. 'The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,' Duffy warned in the directive. NASA's Artemis campaign aims to establish the first long-term presence on the moon. During Trump's inaugural address, he said the U.S. would launch astronauts 'to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars.' 'It is about winning the second space race,' a NASA senior official told Politico. An artist's concept of a fission power system on the moon (NASA) In Duffy's new timeline, a Fission Surface Power Program Executive will be designated within 30 days of the directive. The executive 'is empowered to provide reporting and updates with maximum transparency directly to the Administrator,' Duffy wrote. Within 60 days, NASA will ask for industry proposals for the nuclear reactor, according to the directive. The directive mentioned Trump's budget request for the 2026 fiscal year, which includes $350 million for a new program 'that will accelerate the development of high priority technologies for Mars, (i.e. FSP).' The funding would increase up to $500 million starting in the 2027 fiscal year. Trump's budget request also proposes a huge cut to NASA, with The Planetary Society, a global non-profit space organization, reporting it's the smallest budget proposed for the agency since 1961.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Australia awards navy frigate contract to Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy
SYDNEY, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T), opens new tab will deliver Australia's new A$10 billion ($6.5 billion) navy frigate programme, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday. The deal underscored Canberra's "focus on investing in the capabilities we need now and into the future, to meet Australia's strategic circumstances", he said. The frigate contract is the biggest Australian defence purchase since the government agreed to build nuclear-powered submarines with the United States and Britain in 2023. MHI's Mogami frigate was selected over German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' MEKO A-200 in a meeting of the government's national security committee on Monday. Marles told reporters that while the MEKO-class frigate was "very impressive", the Mogami-class frigate was "the best frigate for Australia". The upgraded Mogami-class frigate has a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles, compared to Australia's current Anzac Class frigates, which have a range of around 6,000 nautical miles, Marles said. The government said in 2024 it would spend up to A$10 billion for the general-purpose frigates to replace the Anzac Class. They will be equipped for undersea warfare and air defence to secure maritime trade routes and Australia's northern approaches. It says the first three general-purpose frigates will be built offshore, with the remainder built in Western Australia. ($1 = 1.5456 Australian dollars)
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
US to build nuclear reactor on the moon
The US is planning to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon as it seeks to push ahead in the space race. Sean Duffy, the new Nasa head, is preparing to announce plans to install a small reactor on the moon to allow astronauts to undertake lengthy missions on the lunar surface and pave the way for future Mars expeditions. A directive from the space agency, seen by The Telegraph argues that a reactor is necessary to stop rival superpowers effectively colonising the Moon and establishing US 'keep-out' zones. China and Russia previously announced a joint effort to put a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s, it notes. 'The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,' the directive says, referring to existing plans to explore the Moon and prepare for missions to Mars. Nasa needs to 'move quickly' to 'support a future lunar economy' and 'strengthen our national security in space', it adds. Solar panels are ineffective because nights on the Moon last the equivalent of two weeks on Earth. A Nasa official said: 'If we are going to have a habitable system on the Moon then we have to bring power.' He said small reactors were already in use on submarines and aircraft carriers. 'They solve the problem,' he added. Mr Duffy, who is also the US transport secretary, has directed Nasa to seek industry proposals for a minimum 100 kilowatt reactor to launch by 2030. The agency had already been working on a 40-kilowatt reactor to use on the moon by the early part of the next decade. Mr Duffy was named interim head of Nasa after Donald Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a tech billionaire and commercial astronaut. The move deepened a rift between Mr Trump and Elon Musk, the SpaceX billionaire and until that point one of the president's closest political allies. Mr Musk, who had pushed for Mr Isaacman to be named to the top job, wrote on social media in May: 'It is rare to find someone so competent and good hearted'.
