Latest news with #Cambodia
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
The Leaked Phone Call that Plunged Thailand Into Crisis
On today's Big Take Asia podcast, how a leaked phone call between Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen triggered a political firestorm. Never miss an episode. Follow The Big Take daily podcast today.
NHK
13 hours ago
- Politics
- NHK
Suspended Thai PM faces ethics probe over Hun Sen call
Thailand's suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is facing further scrutiny following her leaked phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen. Sources at the country's anti-graft agency say it will investigate her conduct. Thai media reported that the National Anti-Corruption Commission voted unanimously on Monday to launch a probe of Paetongtarn, who is currently serving as culture minister. The commission will investigate whether she violated ethical standards in the phone conversation with Hun Sen. During the call to discuss border disputes, Paetongtarn appeared to criticize a Thai military commander and appease Cambodia. The investigation adds to pressure on Paetongtarn, who has already been suspended as prime minister by the country's Constitutional Court over the issue. The court is now weighing whether to remove her from office. The latest public opinion poll shows only 15% of respondents support Paetongtarn staying in power. The overwhelming majority either want her to resign or parliament to be dissolved.
Russia Today
13 hours ago
- Russia Today
Indians have lost over $800 million to online scams in 2025
Indians lost about $820 million to online scams in the first five months of 2025, the Indian Express newspaper has said, citing a report for the country's Home Ministry. More than half the money was lost to scammers based in Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, according to the report. Data from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, a Home Ministry unit, revealed that the online scams originate from high-security locations, believed to be controlled by Chinese operators. The scam centers coerce trafficked individuals, including Indians, to target unsuspecting individuals, according to the Indian Express. An Indian government source told the newspaper that the Foreign Ministry recently organized a meeting with Cambodian officials in New Delhi to discuss an action plan to combat the menace. The Cambodians reportedly requested that India provide the exact geographical coordinates of the scam centers operating in the Southeast Asian country, so that they could take action. In March, New Delhi repatriated 549 Indian citizens who had been rescued from cyber-crime centers located along the Myanmar-Thailand border. Indians, along with citizens of other Asian and African countries, were lured to Thailand or Myanmar with fake information technology job offers, only to be trafficked to cyber-crime centers in Myanmar's ungoverned border areas. 'With the help of intelligence agencies and testimonies of rescued people, the Indian government has identified at least 45 such scam compounds in Cambodia, five in Laos, and one in Myanmar,' an Indian government official told the Indian Express. This issue first came to light in September 2024, when media reports stated that thousands of Indians were trapped in several Southeast Asian countries where they were forced to work as 'cyber slaves.'
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Cambodia will start military conscription next year as tensions with Thailand persist
In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet delivers a speech during ceremony to put in used the military building in northern Kampong Chhnang province, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AKP via AP) PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said Monday that his country will implement military conscription starting next year, in an announcement that coincides with persistent border tensions with Thailand. Relations between the neighbours have deteriorated sharply following an armed confrontation on May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed in one of several small contested patches of land. The sides have agreed to de-escalate their dispute to avoid further clashes, but continue to implement or threaten measures that have kept tensions high, alongside exchanging sharp words. The dispute has also roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from office after making what critics saw as a disparaging comment about her country's military in a phone call to Cambodia's former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who leaked a recording of it. Hun Manet, Hun Sen's son and successor, said that starting in 2026, an existing law on conscription would be implemented to fill shortages and upgrade the military's capabilities. 'This is our commitment,' Hun Manet said in a speech to military forces in the northern province of Kampong Chhnang. He wore his military uniform displaying his rank of a four-star general. Hun Manet said that soldiers joining the ranks through conscription were more effective than a voluntary force and at least as professional. The conscription law was passed in 2006, but never activated. Cambodians of both sexes, aged 18 to 30, must serve but for women, service is voluntary. Thailand has long implemented conscription for men reaching 20 years of age, with an annual lottery determining who among them is called up. The CIA's World Factbook estimates Cambodia's armed forces total 200,000 personnel, including a large force of military police. It says Thailand has 350,000 active-duty personnel in its armed forces. Hun Manet also called for increasing the military budget. Cambodia is one of the region's poorer countries, with a US$9.32 billion national budget for 2025, out of which the biggest share, US$739 million, went for defense. He also repeated calls for Thailand to reopen without conditions all border crossings it had closed, saying that Cambodia would reciprocate within hours. Sopheng Cheang, The Associated Press
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
International airport to fully close to all flights later this year after 66 years
A BUSY airport that was visited by over 4.75 million people last year is set to close for good next month. Phnom Penh International Airport in Cambodia is shutting its doors and making way for a brand new facility which will open in September 2025. 5 Phnom Penh International Airport first opened in January 1959 and is the second largest in Cambodia. The biggest is Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport which opened just 20 months ago. The capacity for Phnom Penh International Airport is 5 million people per year, which was almost reached in 2024. Planes are being diverted to a brand-new facility called Techo International Airport, which has been designed to handle more traffic and provide better connections to and from Cambodia. It will be able to take 13 million passengers a year, which is twice the current airport's capacity. Future plans are that to reach 30 and then 50 million passengers per year. Mr. Sin Chansereyvutha, Secretary of State and Spokesperson for Civil Aviation, has stated that 'Techo International Airport will open for operations on September 9, 2025. He continued to add: "Phnom Penh International Airport will close on the night of September 8, 2025.' Techo International Airport will have a state-of-the-art terminal with duty-free, food halls, shops and outlets. It will have with 22 gates that can fit up to 40 aircraft and there will be a huge central garden. Incredible 'airport of the future' revealed - with no queues or long waits 5 The airport has a big focus on sustainability with a large portion of the terminal's energy being produced by an on-site solar farm. It will become the ninth largest airport in the world when it opens. Cambodia is becoming popular with British holidaymakers because of its affordability and incredible beaches. In fact, TUI very recently its first hotel in Cambodia, it's called TUI BLUE Sihanoukville. The new hotel is on the coast in Sihanoukville and opened two months ago. Holidaymakers can choose from 189 rooms and suites, and on-site, the hotel has a gym and outdoor swimming pool. The hotel has a restaurant and lounge bar as well as entertainment like karaoke, live music and candlelit dinners. Phnom Penh International Airport isn't the only airport set to shut soon, the world's busiest airport that sees 92 million passengers per year will also close its doors. 5 This is Dubai International Airport which handles more than 90 million passengers per year - including millions of Brits. Passengers flying from the UK to Dubai being rerouted to the Al Maktoum International Airport, once the expansion is completed. The newer Al Maktoum International Airport opened in 2010 and is 22 miles outside of the city. The airport known as DWC, is undergoing a £28billion expansion. Once complete, Al Maktoum Airport will be five times the size of DXB, and will be able to handle 260 million passengers a year. The new airport will have five runways and up to 400 aircraft gates, making it the largest airport project in the world. The closure timeline for Dubai International Airport remains unclear, but officials say DWC's new terminal will first open in 2032. The airport will continue to expand through to the 2050s in order to accommodate the growing number of travellers. These are . And here's the full list of 48 EU airports letting British holidaymakers use faster eGates in 2025. 5
