Thai-Cambodian border clashes continue despite Trump ceasefire push
Cambodian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata accused Thai troops of continuing to 'invade Cambodian territory,' alleging they launched artillery shells and rockets into Cambodian areas, according to the Khmer Times.
Meanwhile, Thai army spokesman Richa Suksuvanon said Cambodian forces had fired artillery into several Thai regions, damaging infrastructure.
He emphasized that Thai forces 'will only cease fire when Cambodia comes to negotiate,' signaling no immediate end to the hostilities.
The fighting entered its fourth consecutive day on Sunday. Although no new casualties were reported, the death toll remained at 33—20 killed on the Thai side, including six soldiers, and 13 from Cambodia, including five soldiers.
Thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.On Saturday, President Trump announced that both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting prime minister had agreed to begin ceasefire talks following phone calls with him.However, fighting has continued despite those assurances.The border dispute centers around areas along Cambodia's Preah Vihear province and Thailand's northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province.Tensions reignited on May 28, when a Cambodian soldier was killed, triggering the latest escalation. — Agencies
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
26 minutes ago
- Arab News
Pakistan says US doubling tariffs on India presents ‘strategic opening' for Islamabad
KARACHI: US President Donald Trump's move to double tariffs on Indian goods presents a 'strategic opening' for Islamabad to deepen its trade partnership with Washington, Pakistan's finance adviser Khurram Schehzad said on Thursday. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to place an additional 25 percent tariff on India on top of a 25 percent tariff that went into effect on Thursday. The move made India one of the most heavily taxed US trading partners in Asia. Pakistan, India's traditional arch-rival, has meanwhile improved its ties with Washington. Pakistan and the US finalized a trade agreement last week under which a 19 percent tariff was imposed on a wide range of Pakistani goods. The new rate marked a considerable reduction from the initially proposed 29 percent under a sweeping executive order signed by Trump. 'The US tariff hike on Indian goods presents a strategic opening for Pakistan,' Schehzad told Arab News. Washington's 19 percent tariff on Pakistani goods makes them less expensive than Indian goods, making Pakistan one of the countries with the lowest tariff profiles in the region. 'We see this as a moment of opportunity to deepen trade and economic ties with the United States,' the finance official added. The US is Pakistan's largest export destination, State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said on Thursday. He added that out of $32 billion of Pakistan's exports in the last fiscal year, $6 billion went to the US. Pakistan's tariff deal with the US took place at a time when Islamabad is pushing for an economic revival, buoyed by a $7 billion financial bailout package by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Pakistan has undertaken financial reforms over the past two years. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has tasked authorities to ensure Islamabad's $32 billion annual exports surge to over $60 billion by fiscal year 2028-29. Pakistan, having one of the lowest regional tariff profiles and also attracting a growing US investment interest, is positioned to expand its exports, particularly in textiles, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, technology, mining & minerals, and other value-added manufacturing, Schehzad said. 'This agreement will help us realize the long-term export targets we have set under Uraan Pakistan program,' he said, referring to the government's economic plan that aims to make Pakistan a trillion-dollar economy by 2035. 'MAJOR OBSTACLES' Pakistani businesspersons, especially those related to textiles, think otherwise. Atif Ikram Sheikh, president of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), said the US has imposed the lowest trade tariffs in the region on Pakistan, which Islamabad should take full advantage of. However, he said higher production costs in Pakistan could neutralize this benefit. 'Taxes and high electricity and gas prices for the industry are major obstacles to taking advantage of low tariffs,' Sheikh said. The textile industry is Pakistan's biggest foreign exchange earner, fetching $18 billion during the last fiscal year, most of which came from the US. Kamran Arshad, chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), was also unsure whether the new trade agreement with the US would benefit Pakistan significantly. 'The costly power and high interest rates would not allow us to compete (in the global textile market) at this 19 percent tariff,' Arshad told Arab News. Last week, Pakistan's central bank kept the policy rate unchanged at 11 percent, adopting a cautious approach. According to the APTMA, Pakistan has a higher interest rate of 11 percent, compared to India's 5.5 percent, Bangladesh's 10 percent, Vietnam's 4.5 percent, Sri Lanka's 7.75 percent, Indonesia's 5.25 percent and Cambodia's 3 percent. The power tariff for industries in Pakistan, meanwhile, stands at $0.16 kilowatt per hour as compared to $0.096 in India, $0.10 in Bangladesh, $0.08 in Vietnam, $0.06 in Sri Lanka, $0.07 in Indonesia and $0.135 in Cambodia, the data shows. Pakistani businesses are paying 29 percent corporate income tax and as much as 10 percent super tax compared to the 27.5 percent preferential taxes their competitors from India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Cambodia are paying on incomes. 'Pakistan's corporate tax, policy rate, labor costs, electricity rate put us at a disadvantage with India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Indonesia,' Arshad noted. Shankar Talreja, head of research at Karachi-based brokerage firm Topline Securities, said the US is a 'big market' for pharmaceuticals, textiles and food products. 'If Pakistan gets preferential treatment in the US market, this will help our companies grow further,' he said.
Al Arabiya
26 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Exclusive Senior Hamas official accuses US envoy Witkoff of spoiling Gaza ceasefire efforts
A senior Hamas official has accused US envoy Steve Witkoff of repeatedly undermining efforts to reach a ceasefire between the Palestinian group and Israel in the war-torn Gaza Strip. In an exclusive interview on Al Arabiya English's Counterpoints program, Basem Naim claimed that Witkoff 'undermined a serious chance to reach a ceasefire agreement' on multiple occasions. Naim said Hamas had initially hoped that US President Donald Trump's stated desire to end wars globally would translate into concrete action in Gaza, but that such hope had been disappointed. 'Unfortunately, in our case, we have seen repeatedly that [the US is] backing the position of this fascist Israeli government – in all forms,' Naim said. 'Even, sometimes, if the cost or the price is to undermine a serious chance to reach a ceasefire.' He claimed there had been multiple moments when a truce was within reach but was derailed 'by one of those two parties – either the Israelis or the Americans.' Naim insisted that Hamas remains committed to negotiating a ceasefire – even a temporary one – as a step toward 'a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.'
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Trump: Important that Middle Eastern countries join Abraham Accords
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday it was important that Middle Eastern countries join the Abraham Accords, which aim to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel, saying it will ensure peace in the region. 'Now that the nuclear arsenal being 'created' by Iran has been totally OBLITERATED, it is very important to me that all Middle Eastern Countries join the Abraham Accords,' Trump wrote in a social media post. As part of the Abraham Accords, signed during Trump's first term in office, four Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel after US mediation. Efforts to expand the accords have been complicated by a soaring death toll and starvation in Gaza. The war in Gaza, where local authorities say more than 60,000 people have died, has provoked global anger. Canada, France and the United Kingdom have announced plans in recent days to recognize an independent Palestinian state. Trump's administration is actively discussing with Azerbaijan the possibility of bringing that nation and some Central Asian allies into the Abraham Accords, hoping to deepen their existing ties with Israel, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter.
