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Daily Express
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Calm returns to Thai-Cambodian border after ceasefire
Published on: Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jul 29, 2025 Text Size: People rest at a temporary shelter, the day after the Cambodian and Thai leaders agreed to a ceasefire, in Srei Snam district, Siem Reap province, Cambodia, on Tuesday. Pic by Chantha Lach | Reuters BANGKOK: The border between Thailand and Cambodia remained calm on Tuesday following a ceasefire agreement after five days of intense fighting, CNA reported. Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said military leaders from both countries are expected to meet to follow up on the peace deal. The clashes, which reportedly killed at least 38 people and displaced over 300,000, had erupted last week near disputed frontier areas. While the Thai army said Cambodian forces violated the truce with fresh attacks early Tuesday, Phumtham downplayed the incidents and said there was no escalation. Cambodian defence officials denied any clashes, with Minister Tea Seiha stating that their troops had strictly observed the ceasefire. Thai and Cambodian military commanders met in several locations along the border on Tuesday, with further talks set for 4 August in Phnom Penh. In Sisaket province's Kantharalak district, near the frontlines, daily life resumed as residents reopened shops and returned to work after days of tension. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
29-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Cambodia's border refugees waiting to head home but still wary after ceasefire
People gather to receive supplies donated at a temporary shelter, after the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand agreed to a ceasefire on Monday effective midnight, in a bid to bring an end to their deadliest conflict in more than a decade after five days of fighting,in Srei Snam district, in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Chantha Lach SAMRAONG, Cambodia (Reuters) -On Cambodia's northwestern border, residents staying in makeshift refugee shelters were waiting to head home on Tuesday after a fierce five-day conflict with neighbouring Thailand ended in a ceasefire effective from Monday night. "If they (the government) say that my village is safe to return then I would go back home and reunite with my family because here is not as easy to live as my home," said Meun Saray, a 45-year-old woman holding a child under a tarpaulin shelter in a muddy field near the border town of Samraong. Samraong, capital of Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, was almost completely deserted on Monday, with most of its shops shuttered and its roads eerily quiet after many of its 70,000 residents fled the conflict. About 320 km (200 miles) from the capital Phnom Penh, the town was caught in the middle of the most intense fighting between the two countries in more than a decade, when a simmering border dispute boiled over into a violent military confrontation starting on July 24. "People left because they were scared of fighting," said Inn Theary, a local resident and street vendor who couldn't afford to leave town. "Some people went to live with their relatives and some others went to stay in the refugee camp," she said. "However, people who are very poor like me, we stay here to make money to feed my children." The town is directly south of the O Smach border crossing, and shelling and gunfire were heard on Monday afternoon, said Meach Sovannara, head of the opposition New Generation Party, adding some local villagers were injured after their homes were hit by stray bullets. "Bullets from gunfire don't know whether people are Cambodian or Thai," he said. "We all know that the war is a disaster. Separated families - they can't farm, do business. Students can't study. People wounded, dead." A decades-long border dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbours has escalated since late May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish and both countries began reinforcing troops along their 800-km (500-mile) border. Both sides accused the other of starting last week's fighting. The two neighbours agreed an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire, effective from midnight, at a meeting in Malaysia on Monday after nearly a week of hostilities that saw at least 38 mostly civilian deaths. Small clashes continued to break out after the ceasefire came into effect, though acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters on Tuesday that the situation was now calm. At the refugee camp, residents are still wary. "I really wanted to return home but I dare not go now yet," said Seun Ruot, a 47-year-old housewife. "I'd rather wait later today or tomorrow to see what the situation looks like." (Reporting by Chantha Lach and Zaw Naing Oo; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by John Mair)
Straits Times
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Cambodia's border refugees waiting to head home but still wary after ceasefire
People gather to receive supplies donated at a temporary shelter, after the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand agreed to a ceasefire on Monday effective midnight, in a bid to bring an end to their deadliest conflict in more than a decade after five days of fighting,in Srei Snam district, in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Chantha Lach SAMRAONG, Cambodia - On Cambodia's northwestern border, residents staying in makeshift refugee shelters were waiting to head home on Tuesday after a fierce five-day conflict with neighbouring Thailand ended in a ceasefire effective from Monday night. "If they (the government) say that my village is safe to return then I would go back home and reunite with my family because here is not as easy to live as my home," said Meun Saray, a 45-year-old woman holding a child under a tarpaulin shelter in a muddy field near the border town of Samraong. Samraong, capital of Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, was almost completely deserted on Monday, with most of its shops shuttered and its roads eerily quiet after many of its 70,000 residents fled the conflict. About 320 km (200 miles) from the capital Phnom Penh, the town was caught in the middle of the most intense fighting between the two countries in more than a decade, when a simmering border dispute boiled over into a violent military confrontation starting on July 24. "People left because they were scared of fighting," said Inn Theary, a local resident and street vendor who couldn't afford to leave town. "Some people went to live with their relatives and some others went to stay in the refugee camp," she said. "However, people who are very poor like me, we stay here to make money to feed my children." The town is directly south of the O Smach border crossing, and shelling and gunfire were heard on Monday afternoon, said Meach Sovannara, head of the opposition New Generation Party, adding some local villagers were injured after their homes were hit by stray bullets. "Bullets from gunfire don't know whether people are Cambodian or Thai," he said. "We all know that the war is a disaster. Separated families - they can't farm, do business. Students can't study. People wounded, dead." A decades-long border dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbours has escalated since late May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish and both countries began reinforcing troops along their 800-km (500-mile) border. Both sides accused the other of starting last week's fighting. The two neighbours agreed an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire, effective from midnight, at a meeting in Malaysia on Monday after nearly a week of hostilities that saw at least 38 mostly civilian deaths. Small clashes continued to break out after the ceasefire came into effect, though acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters on Tuesday that the situation was now calm. At the refugee camp, residents are still wary. "I really wanted to return home but I dare not go now yet," said Seun Ruot, a 47-year-old housewife. "I'd rather wait later today or tomorrow to see what the situation looks like." REUTERS
The Standard
29-07-2025
- Politics
- The Standard
Thai and Cambodia border calm ahead of military commanders meeting
A view shows an empty street of Samraong, the capital of Oddar Meanchey province, about 20 km (12 miles) from the border, from where people evacuated during ceasefire talks in Malaysia, as the deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia extended to a fifth day, Cambodia, July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Chantha Lach
The Star
29-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Thai and Cambodia border calm ahead of military commanders meeting
A view shows an empty street of Samraong, the capital of Oddar Meanchey province, about 20 km (12 miles) from the border, from where people evacuated during ceasefire talks in Malaysia, as the deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia extended to a fifth day, Cambodia, July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Chantha Lach BANGKOK (Reuters) -The Thailand-Cambodia border, where fighting has raged since last week, is now calm following a ceasefire deal and military commanders from both sides are set to meet for talks on Tuesday, acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said. Phumtham and his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, met in Malaysia on Monday and agreed to halt their deadliest conflict in more than a decade following five days of intense fighting that displaced over 300,000 people and killed at least 38 people, mostly civilians. The Thai army said in a statement there had been attacks by Cambodian troops in at least five locations early on Tuesday, violating the ceasefire that had come into effect from midnight, and Thailand's military had retaliated proportionately. Phumtham played down the clashes, and said he had spoken with Cambodia's defence minister ahead of the talks between military commanders, which are scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. local time (0300 GMT). "There is no escalation," Phumtham told reporters. "Right now things are calm." Maly Socheata, a spokesperson for the Cambodian Defence Ministry, said in a briefing on Tuesday that there had been no continued fighting along the border. Monday's peace talks came after a sustained push by Malaysian Premier Anwar Ibrahim and U.S. President Donald Trump, with the latter warning Thai and Cambodian leaders that trade negotiations would not progress if fighting continued. Thailand and Cambodia face a tariff of 36% on their goods in the U.S., their biggest export market, unless a reduction can be negotiated. After the ceasefire deal was reached, Trump said he had spoken to both leaders and had instructed his trade team to restart tariff talks. The Southeast Asian neighbours have wrangled for decades over their disputed frontier and have been on a conflict footing since the killing of a Cambodian soldier in a skirmish late in May, which led to a troop buildup on both sides and a full-blown diplomatic crisis. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by John Mair)
