Thailand to sue Cambodian leaders over deadly border conflict
Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, announced on Monday that the National Security Council has resolved to sue the present and former Cambodian leaders in Thai courts for directing the military to infringe the borders.
Cambodia and Thailand agreed a ceasefire late last month after an armed conflict between the two neighbours left more than 40 people dead and displaced over 260,000 others.
Mr Phumtham said the Thai government will take legal action to address Cambodia's military aggression even as negotiations to find a long-term agreement to the two countries' border dispute continue.
However he clarified that the case would be heard domestically under Thai law as Thailand does not recognise the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice.
'We are preparing to sue Cambodia, including its leaders, for violating Thailand's sovereignty through the use of military force and weapons, which has affected Thai lives and property,' Mr Phumtham said, according to Khmer Times.
He said the Cambodian leaders would be arrested if they entered Thailand.
The acting prime minister justified the measures, calling them necessary and appropriate to address attacks on Thai citizens and public property. He argued that failure to act could open officials up to charges of negligence.
The Thai Lawyers Council last week said it planned to assist victims of the military conflict through civil litigation to seek compensation.
Veerasak Chotiwanich, the deputy secretary-general of the council, said the body was encouraging citizens affected by the clashes to provide evidence for class-action lawsuits against the Cambodian government.
Border negotiations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours are scheduled to continue at the Thai-Cambodian Regional Border Committee meeting on 27 August and later at the General Border Committee meeting in Cambodia in September.
The clashes in July saw both sides trade artillery fire and air strikes along contested stretches of their 817km border. It was their deadliest border conflict in more than a decade.
The violence began at a flashpoint near the ancient Ta Moan Thom temple in Thailand's Surin province, and quickly spread to other disputed areas. Cambodian officials accused Thailand of launching air strikes and dropping bombs on roads inside its territory.
Thailand blamed Cambodia for laying new landmines – one of which injured a Thai soldier and prompted a swift military response, including the deployment of F-16 fighter jets.
The latest conflict was preceded by escalating tensions over a Cambodian soldier's killing during a confrontation in May.
A truce, brokered by Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, was reached on 28 July after US president Donald Trump said he had spoken to the leaders on both sides.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Family of man who died in custody in Aberdeen sue police and NHS
Relatives of a young man who died in custody are suing the police and NHS, BBC Scotland News has Fenty, 20, died from a drugs overdose at Kittybrewster Police Station in Aberdeen in had been arrested after discharging himself from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, against medical advice, and was being held in the station's custody suite. A sheriff later ruled his death might have been Fenty's mother, Sharon Fenty, and other relatives have launched a legal action against Police Scotland and NHS Grampian. Both organisations declined to comment. The sheriff's fatal accident inquiry (FAI) ruling was in May last Pyle, the sheriff principal of Grampian, Highlands and Islands, said that custody officers should have conducted cell checks of Mr Fenty in accordance with the then standard operating was an opportunity which might have led to Mr Fenty's readmission into hospital which "might have avoided his death", he said in a written ruling. He said: "I have concluded that no one individual can be held responsible."Indeed, all those involved, whether medical practitioners or police officers, were doing their best in what proved to be quite exceptional circumstances."Nevertheless, I do identify certain institutional failures by Police Scotland which, while not on the evidence being the cause of death or indeed materially contributing to it, resulted in missed opportunities to have Mr Fenty returned to hospital where it is likely, although by no means certain, that he would have survived." The legal action against Police Scotland and NHS Grampian seeking damages has been lodged at the Court of Session in Fenty's mother previously told BBC Scotland News: "It's been a nightmare."I just had to keep on going for Warren's sake. I'm never going to be the Sharon I used to be."I am angry. That was my son. I miss him so much, he should be here."
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
John Hume: Conservationist in South Africa denies smuggling rhino horns worth $14m
A leading conservationist in South Africa, charged with smuggling rhino horns worth $14m (£10m), has insisted he has "nothing to hide".In a statement, John Hume, the former owner of what is thought to be the world's largest rhino farm, denied allegations that he trafficked the horns from South Africa to South East 83-year-old Mr Hume and five others, including a lawyer and a game reserve manager, have appeared in court on 55 charges, including theft, money laundering and fraud. The group was allegedly part of an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate between 2017 and 2024, prosecutors said. Mr Hume and his co-defendants are accused of smuggling more than 960 horns, obtaining permits to sell them locally, when the true intention was to export the horns to South East Asia, where they are used in traditional medicine. The sale of rhino horns is legal between citizens in South Africa, but exporting them is not allowed. The accused appeared in a magistrate's court in the capital city Pretoria on Tuesday and were granted bail. They did not enter a plea - this is not required in South Africa during an initial court Hume, however, proclaimed his innocence in a statement. "I have nothing to hide and have fully cooperated with investigators for years," he said."I categorically reject the allegations against me and maintain that I have never acted unlawfully. I am confident that, once the facts are tested in court, I will be vindicated and my innocence confirmed."Mr Hume's former farm, Platinum Rhino, was home to approximately 2,000 southern white sold the farm in 2023, saying he could no longer continue to support the rhinos, which he had been breeding for over two Hume was born in Zimbabwe and raised on a sheep farm. He made a living developing holiday resorts, before turning his hand to conservation in the 1990s. You may also be interested in: Rhino horns turned radioactive to fight poachers in South AfricaIllegal trade booms in South Africa's 'super-strange looking' plantsPODCAST: Women in South Africa and Zambia protect wildlife from poachers Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Sky News
Two Labour-run councils 'considering all options' to challenge migrant hotel use
Two Labour-run councils have said they are considering taking legal action to stop the use of hotels to house migrants in their areas after Epping council won a temporary injunction on Tuesday. The leaders of Wirral and Tamworth councils both say they are considering their legal options in the wake of the Epping case, citing similar concerns about the impact of the hotels on their local communities. Epping Forest District Council won an interim High Court injunction to stop migrants from being accommodated at The Bell Hotel, after arguing its owners did not have planning permission to use it to house migrants. In a statement, Paula Basnett, the Labour leader of Wirral council, said: "Like many other local authorities, we have concerns about the Home Office's practice of placing asylum seekers in hotels without consultation or regard to local planning requirements. "We are actively considering all options available to us to ensure that any use of hotels or other premises in Wirral is lawful and does not ride roughshod over planning regulations or the wishes of our communities. "Wirral has always been proud of its record in supporting families and those fleeing conflict, but it is unacceptable for the government to impose unsuitable, short-term arrangements that disrupt communities and bypass local decision-making. "If necessary, we will not hesitate to challenge such decisions in order to protect both residents and those seeking refuge." Carol Dean, the Labour leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said she understands the "strong feelings" of residents about the use of a local hotel to house asylum seekers, and that the council is "listening to their concerns and taking them seriously". She pointed out that under the national Labour government, the use of hotels has halved from 402 to 210, with the aim of stopping the use of any hotels by the end of this parliament. 5:43 But she continued: "Following the temporary High Court injunction granted to Epping Forest District Council, we are closely monitoring developments and reviewing our legal position in light of this significant ruling." Cllr Dean added that they had previously explored their legal options to challenge the use of the hotel but decided against them, as temporary injunctions were not being upheld. However, the Epping ruling "represents a potentially important legal precedent", which is why they are "carefully assessing" its significance for Tamworth. 11:48 "We fully recognise the UK government has a statutory duty to accommodate people seeking asylum. However, we have consistently maintained that the prolonged use of hotel accommodation may not represent the best approach - either for our local community or for the asylum seekers themselves," she said. "We will continue to work constructively with government departments and all relevant agencies while making sure the voice of our community is heard at the highest levels of government." Last night, Conservative-run Broxbourne Council also announced it was exploring its legal options, and the Reform UK leader of Kent County said she was writing to fellow leaders in Kent to explore whether they could potentially take legal action as well. 6:18 Use of Epping hotel 'sidestepped public scrutiny' The prime minister and the home secretary are under huge pressure to clear the asylum backlog and stop using hotels across the country to house those waiting for their applications to be processed. Protests have sprung up at migrant hotels across the country. But The Bell Hotel in Epping became a focal point in recent weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Epping Forest District Council sought an interim High Court injunction to stop migrants from being accommodated at the hotel, owned by Somani Hotels Limited, on the basis that using it for that purpose contravened local planning regulations. The interim injunction demanded that the hotel be cleared of its occupants within 14 days, but in his ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary block, while extending the time limit by which it must stop housing asylum seekers to 12 September. Somani Hotels said it intended to appeal the decision, its barrister, Piers Riley-Smith, arguing it would set a precedent that could affect "the wider strategy" of housing asylum seekers in hotels. A government attempt to delay the application was rejected by the High Court judge earlier on Tuesday, Home Office barristers arguing the case had a "substantial impact" on the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, in performing her legal duties to asylum seekers. But Mr Justice Eyre dismissed the Home Office's bid, stating that the department's involvement was "not necessary". The judge said the hotel's owners "sidestepped the public scrutiny and explanation which would otherwise have taken place if an application for planning permission or for a certificate of lawful use had been made". He added: "It was also deliberately taking the chance that its understanding of the legal position was incorrect. This is a factor of particular weight in the circumstances of this case." Reacting to Tuesday's judgment, border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said the government will "continue working with local authorities and communities to address legitimate concerns".
