Trump's Thailand ambassador pick says Bangkok border conflicts don't help alliance
Sean O'Neill, a career foreign service officer who has served twice before as a diplomat in Thailand, made the comment at his Senate confirmation hearing when asked about five days of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that killed at least 43 people and displaced over 300,000.
Thai and Cambodian leaders met in Malaysia on Monday and agreed to a ceasefire to halt their deadliest conflict in more than a decade. That agreement came after Trump warned the Thai and Cambodian leaders at the weekend that trade negotiations with the US would not progress if fighting continued.
Asked what he would do to ensure that the ceasefire became a long-term peace agreement, O'Neill said: "I think the first thing I would do is to point out to Thailand, which is one of our only treaty allies in Asia, that wars like this, conflicts like this, do nothing to help their people.
"They do nothing to strengthen our alliance, they do nothing to address the challenges that both of our countries face. They are just a needless waste of life and treasure."
O'Neill also said Thailand should not lend legitimacy to the military government in its neighbour Myanmar.
He said the State Department's position was not to encourage Myanmar to hold "sham" elections the military was looking to hold in the autumn.
"If confirmed, I would encourage Thailand not to recognize an election that does not include the participation of over 50 per cent of the country, while most of the opposition leaders are in prison," he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Trump says he will 'substantially' raise tariffs on India over Russia oil purchases
WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump said on Monday (Aug 4) he will substantially raise tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil - a key source of revenue for Moscow's war on Ukraine. "India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA." He did not elaborate on what the tariff would be. Trump last week said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India and added that the world's fifth-largest economy would also face an unspecified penalty but gave no details. Over the weekend, two Indian government sources told Reuters that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Trump's threats. The sources did not wish to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. Trump's heightened pressure on India comes after he signalled fresh sanctions on Moscow if it did not make progress by Friday towards a peace deal with Kyiv, more than three years since Russia's invasion.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
US could require up to $19,300 bonds for some tourist visas under new pilot programme
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The new visa programme, effective August 20, will last for approximately a year, the government notice said. WASHINGTON - The US could require up to US$15,000 (S$19,300) bonds for some tourist and business visas under a new pilot programme launching in two weeks, a US government notice said on Aug 4, an effort that aims to crack down on visitors who overstay their visas. The programme gives US consular officers the discretion to impose bonds on visitors from countries with high rates of visa overstays, according to a Federal Register notice. The bonds also could be applied to people coming from countries where screening and vetting information is deemed insufficient, the notice said. US President Donald Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a central focus of his presidency, surging resources to secure the border and arresting people in the US illegally. The Republican president issued a travel ban in June that blocks citizens of 12 nations from entering the US on national security grounds. The new visa programme, effective August 20, will last for approximately a year, the government notice said. The US government launched a similar pilot programme in November 2020 during the last months of Mr Trump's first term in office, but it was not fully implemented due to the drop in global travel associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, the notice said. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump says he will ‘substantially' raise tariffs on India over Russian oil purchases
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump said he will substantially raise tariffs on India. WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said on Aug 4 he will substantially raise tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil. 'India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,' Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 'Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.' He did not elaborate on what the tariff would be. Mr Trump last week said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India and added that the world's fifth-largest economy would also face an unspecified penalty but gave no details. Over the weekend, two Indian government sources told Reuters that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Mr Trump's threats. The sources did not wish to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. REUTERS
