More than 100,000 flee as Thailand-Cambodia border clashes escalate
More than 100,000 people have fled the bloodiest border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia in a decade, Bangkok said Friday, as the death toll rose and international powers urged a halt to hostilities.
A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, and the UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later Friday.
The Thai interior ministry said more than 100,000 people from four border provinces had been moved to nearly 300 temporary shelters, while the kingdom's health ministry announced that the death toll had risen to 14 -- 13 civilians and one soldier.
In the Cambodian town of Samraong, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the border, AFP journalists reported hearing distant artillery fire on Friday morning.
Read moreAt least 12 people killed as Thai, Cambodian border tensions spiral
As the guns started up, some families packed their children and belongings into vehicles and sped away.
"I live very close to the border. We are scared because they began shooting again at about 6:00 am," Pro Bak, 41, told AFP.
He was taking his wife and children to a Buddhist temple to seek refuge.
"I don't know when we could return home," he said.
AFP journalists also saw soldiers rushing to man rocket launchers and speeding off towards the frontier.
Calls for calm
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 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier.
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.
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.
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.
Thursday's clashes came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine.
Cambodia downgraded ties to "the lowest level" on Thursday, pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh.
At the request of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the deadly clashes, diplomatic sources told AFP.
The United States urged an "immediate" end to the conflict, while Cambodia's former colonial ruler France made a similar call.
The EU and China -- a close ally of Phnom Penh -- said they were "deeply concerned" about the clashes, calling for dialogue.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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New York Post
33 minutes ago
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Thailand and Cambodia trade accusations as deadly border clashes enter third day
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The regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, is under growing pressure to defuse the situation between its two members. During an emergency meeting on Friday, members of the U.N. Security Council called for de-escalation and urged ASEAN to mediate a peaceful solution. The 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. 5 Displaced Cambodians receive water at the Battkhao Resettlement Camp in Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia, Saturday, July 26, 2025, as border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day. AP Fresh attacks and rising tension Cambodia's Defense Ministry condemned what it said was an expanded Thai offensive early Saturday after five heavy artillery shells were fired into multiple locations in the province of Pursat, calling the attack an 'unprovoked and premeditated act of aggression.' Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said tensions flared in the province of Koh Kong, where four Thai naval vessels were reportedly stationed offshore and four others en route. She said the naval deployment was an 'act of aggression' that risked further escalation. Maly Socheata said seven civilians and five soldiers were killed in two days of fighting. Earlier, one man was reported dead after a pagoda he was hiding under was hit by Thai rockets. 5 Artillery fire and gunshots were reported near several border villages, expanding the area of the fighting that flared again Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. REUTERS The Thai army had denied targeting Cambodian civilian sites and accused Phnom Penh of using 'human shields' by positioning their weapons near residential areas. Meanwhile, Thailand's navy, in a statement Saturday, accused Cambodian forces of initiating a new attack in the province of Trat, saying Thai forces responded swiftly and 'successfully pushed back the Cambodian incursion at three key points', warning that 'aggression will not be tolerated.' Thai authorities also alleged several Cambodian artillery shells had landed across the border in Laos, damaging homes and property. Lao officials have not publicly responded to the claim. The conflict has so far left thousands displaced. Cambodia's Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said Saturday the clashes had forced 10,865 Cambodian families, or 37,635 people, in three border provinces to evacuate to safe locations, while Thai officials said more than 131,000 people had fled their border villages. Call to protect civilians amid claim of cluster bomb use Human Rights Watch urged the U.N. Security Council and concerned governments to press the Thai and Cambodian governments to abide by international humanitarian law and take all steps to protect civilians. Children have been harmed and Thai authorities have closed at least 852 schools and seven hospitals for safety reasons, the rights group said in a statement Saturday. Both sides have employed rocket and artillery attacks, and after initially denying Cambodian claims that internationally prohibited cluster munitions were being used, a Thai military spokesperson in a statement Friday said that such weapons could be utilized 'when necessary' to target military objectives. HRW condemned the use of cluster munitions in populated areas. Neither Thailand nor Cambodia is party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use of the weapon, and Thai authorities had previously used them during a border dispute with Cambodia in February 2011 that left 20 people dead. 'Neither Thailand nor Cambodia appears to be paying attention to international humanitarian law at great expense to civilians,' John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. 'Diplomatic efforts underway need to prioritize protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure.' 5 People gather to receive water supplies donated at Batthkao Primary School camp, amid ongoing clashes on the Thai-Cambodian border. REUTERS Thai officials also acknowledged the use of F-16 jets and drones to launch airstrikes. UN urges ASEAN bloc to mediate The U.N. Security Council didn't issue a resolution on the crisis during its Friday emergency session, but Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Saturday all 15 member countries called on both sides to exercise restraint, halt attacks, and resolve the dispute peacefully. They also supported ASEAN's role in mediating between its two member states, he said. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country is the current ASEAN chair, had earlier said Thailand and Cambodia were open in principle to his ceasefire proposal. Malaysian media said Anwar has tasked the country's foreign minister to mediate peace talks to halt the fighting. 5 Cambodia's Defense Ministry condemned what it said was an expanded Thai offensive early Saturday after five heavy artillery shells were fired into multiple locations in the province of Pursat. REUTERS Maris said Saturday his country agreed in principle to the proposal, but insisted that Cambodia must first show sincerity and cease hostilities, adding that Thailand would continue to engage constructively with Malaysia. 'Thailand reaffirms its commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully and in accordance with international law,' he said, urging Cambodia to 'return to the negotiating table with sincerity and in good faith.'
Time Business News
2 hours ago
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How Anonymous Lives Thrive in Remote Regions
Vancouver, British Columbia — Amicus International Consulting, a leader in legal identity transformation and international privacy solutions, has released a new investigative report titled 'How Anonymous Lives Thrive in Remote Regions.' This publication examines how individuals seeking to evade detection or maintain their privacy are increasingly turning to remote areas, such as mountains, jungles, and unmonitored zones in parts of South America and Southeast Asia, as havens for anonymous living. In an era where biometric surveillance, digital identifiers, and global information-sharing agreements are tightening the net around even the most subtle fugitives, some individuals are opting to return to the oldest method of evasion: geographic isolation. This strategy, which dates back to the Cold War and beyond, has found new life in regions where surveillance infrastructure is sparse, government oversight is limited, and cash economies still prevail. The Return to the Mountains: Geography as the Oldest Shield Long before digital footprints and satellite tracking became dominant, individuals fleeing persecution or criminal pursuit often sought out isolated terrain—deserts, forests, and particularly, mountain ranges. These natural environments offer a fundamental strategic advantage: physical inaccessibility. In modern times, mountain hideouts are not just a trope of rebel insurgencies and exiled monarchs. They remain a practical, if extreme, form of anonymity. The Andes in South America, the highlands of Southeast Asia, and the lesser-known ranges of Central America continue to host individuals living off the grid—some legally, some questionably. Case Study 1: The Andes Sanctuary In 2014, a political dissident from North Africa fled his home country following a coup that resulted in mass arrests. Rather than seeking asylum through traditional international channels, he travelled via forged documents to Ecuador and made his way to a remote Andean village. There, he lived for over eight years under a new name—legally adopted through Ecuador's document regularization process. With no internet access, no banking footprint, and barter-based transactions, he became a local handyman and translator. Authorities never questioned his identity, and he eventually gained residency through a rural development program. Lesson: Mountain villages often lack centralized identity databases and rely on local trust networks. This creates natural gaps in national surveillance and enforcement systems. Southeast Asia's Hidden Pockets: Between Law and Tradition While Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia have made strides in biometric adoption and digital banking, large swaths of their rural interiors remain disconnected from national databases. In Laos, northern Myanmar, and parts of the Thai highlands, entire communities function outside national registration systems. Many fugitives and privacy seekers exploit these gaps, living among local ethnic groups, hiring local attorneys to navigate land rights, and avoiding international scrutiny by integrating into traditional cultures that do not rely on Western-style bureaucratic identification. Case Study 2: The 'Ghost of Chiang Rai' A Canadian man accused of tax evasion in 2015 disappeared just before charges were filed. Months later, he was spotted by a backpacker in a remote village near Chiang Rai, Thailand, where he reportedly lived in a bamboo hut, assisted locals with English translations, and paid for goods with Thai baht earned through informal tutoring. According to an Amicus field researcher who later visited the region, the man had altered his appearance. He received unofficial protection from the local community, which was unaware of his fugitive status. He lived undisturbed for six years, during which time the statute of limitations on his charges expired. Lesson: Time, geography, and local integration can render legal pursuits ineffective—especially when the local economy functions without digital identifiers. South America: The Perfect Storm of Privacy Countries like Paraguay, Bolivia, and parts of Peru remain among the most popular destinations for those seeking lawful but low-key lifestyles. This is due to a combination of: Cash-based economies Incomplete biometric infrastructure Weak international extradition cooperation Rural land access without national ID requirements Historical tolerance for stateless or displaced persons Case Study 3: The Dual Identity in Bolivia A dual national from Eastern Europe fled after being implicated in a major cryptocurrency fraud. Using his second passport (issued in a small Balkan country), he entered Bolivia in 2021. Once there, he travelled deep into the Yungas region and lived under a slightly altered version of his name. Although Interpol issued a Red Notice, the Bolivian authorities did not take action. In 2023, he began cultivating coca under the identity of a deceased local, which he obtained with the help of a rural registrar known to issue 'supplemental documents' for a price. His identity change was never detected. Lesson: Corruption at the rural administrative level remains a severe weakness in identity verification in several South American jurisdictions. Expert Commentary: The Myth of Universal Surveillance 'Despite what we hear about AI, drones, and satellites, the truth is global surveillance still has very human blind spots,' says a digital forensics expert interviewed by Amicus. 'When fugitives understand which countries lack full enforcement integration with Interpol or do not enforce biometric checkpoints, they can evade detection for decades.' The expert also noted that terrain plays a psychological role: 'Investigators are often reluctant to pursue leads that require travelling off-road for hours or negotiating with tribal authorities.' The Tools of Remote Anonymity: What Works Amicus International Consulting identifies several key tools used by individuals living anonymously in remote regions: Legal Name Changes in Loophole Jurisdictions: Especially when supported by ancestral citizenship or relaxed documentation standards. Remote Land Acquisition: Through informal sales, squatting in unmonitored zones, or legal rural development programs. Barter and Cash Economy: Avoiding banks and financial systems that report to FATCA, CRS, or local tax bureaus. Community Integration: Using skills like translation, farming, teaching, or medicine to become 'useful' in isolated communities. Technological Abstinence: No phones, no internet, and no smart devices—just radios, handwritten letters, and local gossip. The Role of Isolation From Social Media Unlike cities, remote regions offer a social environment where being 'offline' is not perceived as suspicious. There's no expectation to post updates, share check-ins, or appear in facially tagged photos. This provides a natural camouflage for those who intentionally disconnect. Case Study 4: No Signal, No Risk An American environmental activist, fleeing an unjust surveillance order, resettled in Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2020. He lived near the Gunung Leuser National Park among indigenous people who accepted him after he offered medical assistance during a flood. He never carried a phone, avoided all internet use, and never wired money. His only outside connection was a legal contact in Singapore who mailed books and medicine under a pseudonym. After five years, no agency had traced him—not even through open-source intelligence. Lesson: Technological silence, when normalized by geographic conditions, can defeat even the most advanced digital tracking. Legal Anonymity: Amicus's Role in Lawful Relocation Amicus International Consulting does not assist fugitives escaping justice for violent or financial crimes. However, it provides services to individuals seeking lawful anonymity due to: Political persecution Domestic violence Threats from organized crime Journalistic reprisal Whistleblower status Amicus services include: Legal name changes Second citizenship acquisition Rural relocation planning Identity compartmentalization strategies Anonymous digital migration Case Study 5: From Domestic Violence Victim to Respected Herbalist A woman from Eastern Europe who faced serious domestic violence relocated legally to Peru through a residency program. After changing her name and acquiring property in a remote village near Cusco, she began cultivating medicinal plants and teaching traditional healing techniques. She received no visitors, had no online presence, and refused all international banking services. Locals protected her identity, and over time, she became integrated into the local spiritual community. She now teaches rural workshops under her new name. Lesson: Lawfully starting over in a remote region can lead to complete reintegration into society—under safe, legal, and fully autonomous terms. Why Remote Regions Still Work in 2025 Despite rising government collaboration, technological surveillance, and the digitization of civil records, remote regions often struggle to maintain anonymity because they lack one crucial ingredient: an adequate enforcement infrastructure. Rural officials often do not have: Real-time access to international watchlists Facial recognition software Encrypted international communication lines Biometric scanning devices Moreover, many have no incentive to investigate residents who contribute to the community and do not create problems. Amicus's Ethical Warning 'We do not help people escape justice,' said an Amicus relocation consultant. 'But we do help people build safe, lawful new lives in regions where they won't be hunted for things like political speech, LGBTQ+ identity, or being a whistleblower.' The consultant stressed the importance of operating within the law: 'A clean start does not require deception. It requires strategy.' Conclusion: The Geography of Freedom The final takeaway from Amicus International Consulting's latest investigative report is clear: anonymity still thrives—just not in the places most people expect. Mountain hideouts, cash-based villages, and off-grid communities in South America and Southeast Asia remain the last frontiers for legal privacy and lawful escape from persecution. And for those who understand the rules, speak the language of local laws, and treat privacy not as a secret—but as a right—freedom remains possible, even in the most watched age in human history. Contact InformationPhone: +1 (604) 200-5402Email: info@ Website:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
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'We are neighbours': fleeing Thais and Cambodians call for peace
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