Latest news with #ChatchakRatsamikaeo
Borneo Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Thailand says open to Malaysia mediating in Cambodia conflict
Frame grab from UGC video footage taken and posted on Facebook by Chatchak Ratsamikaeo on July 24, 2025 shows smoke billowing from the roof of a convenience store attached to a petrol station in Sisaket province after it was hit by a rocket strike from Cambodia. – AFP photo BANGKOK (July 25): Thailand is open to Malaysia mediating in efforts to find a negotiated solution to its bloody conflict with Cambodia, its foreign ministry spokesman told AFP today. The two neighbours are locked in their most intense fighting in more than a decade, battling with artillery and ground troops over sections of their disputed 800-kilometre border. The crisis will come before the UN Security Council today and multiple major powers have called for a ceasefire and negotiations. Thai foreign ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said Bangkok was open to talks, possibly aided by Malaysia. 'We are ready, if Cambodia would like to settle this matter via diplomatic channels, bilaterally, or even through Malaysia, we are ready to do that. But so far we have not had any response,' Nikorndej told AFP. Malaysia currently holds the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members. Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in a Facebook post late Thursday he had spoken with Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. He called on both sides to stop fighting and seek a diplomatic solution. 'I welcome the positive signals and willingness shown by both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to consider this path forward,' he wrote. Nikorndej said that in the call, Anwar sought to explore 'whether we can deescalate the situation… whether there is the possibility to hold talks'. But the two sides traded deadly artillery salvos today for a second day, with acting PM Phumtham warning of a risk that the clashes could develop into war. – AFP cambodia clash malaysia Thailand war
New York Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Israel issues Thailand, Cambodia travel warning amid violent clashes
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday recommending that Israeli nationals 'avoid entering or staying in the border area' between Thailand and Cambodia in light of the cross-border fighting that erupted between the two countries the previous night. The ministry emphasized 'the northeastern provinces of Thailand and the northwestern provinces of Cambodia' in particular as places to avoid. Thailand is a popular destination for Israelis, with hundreds of thousands of citizens estimated to travel there annually. 7 The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement, recommending that Israeli nationals 'avoid entering or staying in the border area' between Thailand and Cambodia in light of the cross-border fighting. via REUTERS Clashes broke out on Thursday morning near the Khmer Hindu temple Ta Muen Thom, after five Thai soldiers were wounded by mines the previous day, the Guardian reported. Bangkok, in response, shuttered its northeastern borders with Cambodia and expelled the Cambodian ambassador from the country. Thailand's Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said that 11 civilians and one soldier had been killed by Cambodian artillery shelling since the start of the fighting, according to Reuters. The minister added that 24 civilians and seven military personnel had been wounded. 7 Thailand's Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said that 11 civilians and one soldier had been killed by Cambodian artillery shelling since the start of the fighting, according to Reuters. Courtesy of Facebook user Chatchak Ratsamikaeo/AFP via Getty Images 7 Cambodian soldiers reload the BM-21 multiple rocket launcher in Preah Vihear province on July 24, 2025, according to reports. AFP via Getty Images 'The Thai Army condemns Cambodia for using weapons to attack civilians in Thailand. Thailand is ready to protect sovereignty and our people from inhumane action,' the country's military said in a statement cited by Reuters. Cambodian troops had opened fire near the temple, and deployed a surveillance drone before sending in troops with heavy weapons, including rocket launchers, the Thai military said, per the Guardian. Cambodia denied those claims, with its Defense Ministry saying that 'Cambodian forces acted strictly within the bounds of self-defence, responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity,' the report added. 7 Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers take shelter in Surin province, northeastern Thailand, Thursday, July 24, 2025. AP 7 Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers take shelter in Surin province, northeastern Thailand, Thursday, July 24, 2025. AP A two-country territorial dispute has put a damper on their relations for years, but diplomatic ties took a nosedive in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a confrontation in one of the areas under dispute, according to the Associated Press. The contesting claims derive largely from a 1907 map drawn under French colonial rule. 7 Clashes broke out on Thursday morning near the Khmer Hindu temple Ta Muen Thom, after five Thai soldiers were wounded by mines the previous day, according to reports. AFP via Getty Images 7 Firefighters work to extinguish fire at a convenience store at a gas station, amid the clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. via REUTERS Phnom Penh has been using the map as a reference to claim territory, while Bangkok has argued the map is inaccurate. Later on Thursday, Thailand said that F-16 fighter jets had attacked 'military targets' in Cambodia, AP reported. The Royal Thai Army stated that the fighting has expanded to six different points along the border.
The Citizen
6 days ago
- The Citizen
Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets and rockets in deadly border row
At least 12 people were killed as Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy fire over a disputed border zone near the Emerald Triangle. This frame grab from UGC video footage taken and posted on Facebook by Chatchak Ratsamikaeo on July 24, 2025 shows smoke billowing from the roof of a convenience store attached to a petrol station in Sisaket province after it was hit by a rocket strike from Cambodia. Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets on July 24 as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery, killing at least 11 civilians, in a dramatic escalation of a long-running border row between the two neighbours. (Photo by Courtesy of Facebook user Chatchak Ratsamikaeo / AFP) Thailand and Cambodia fought their bloodiest military clashes in more than a decade on Thursday, with at least 12 people killed as the two sides battled with tanks, artillery and ground forces over a disputed border zone. The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet. The decades-old squabble flared into bloody clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight. In Thursday's clashes, Cambodia fired rockets and artillery shells into Thailand and the Thai military scrambled F-16 jets to carry out air strikes. The Thai public health ministry said one soldier and at least 11 civilians were killed, most of them in a rocket strike near a petrol station in Sisaket province. Footage from the scene showed smoke pouring from a convenience store attached to the petrol station. Provincial officials said most of the dead were students inside the shop when the attack happened. ALSO READ: SA acts against dumping of Chinese and Thai washing machines 'I heard a loud noise three or four times, and when I looked over, there was a gigantic cloud of smoke,' Praphas Intaracheun, a 53-year-old gardener from Sisaket province, told AFP. He was was refuelling at another petrol station around 300 metres (984 feet) from the one that was hit. 'I was absolutely shocked. This is the first time I've ever experienced anything like this,' he said. 'I'm scared it might escalate during the night when you can't see anything. I don't even dare sleep.' The Thai public health ministry said 35 civilians have been wounded. 'I don't even dare sleep' Fighting was focused on six locations, the Thai army said, with ground troops and tanks battling Cambodian forces for control of territory. ALSO READ: Myanmar holds minute of silence for over 2 000 earthquake victims Six Thai air force jets were deployed, hitting two 'Cambodian military targets on the ground', according to Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon. Cambodia has not yet commented on casualties on its side. Defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata refused to answer when asked about the issue at a news conference. Both sides blame the other for starting the fighting, which erupted near two temples on the border. The Cambodian defence ministry said its forces had responded in self-defence against an 'armed assault'. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to address what his foreign ministry labelled 'unprovoked military aggression'. Thailand's government, meanwhile, accused Cambodia of being 'inhumane, brutal and war-hungry' and said all border crossings had been shut and nearby residents evacuated. ALSO READ: 'We need aid': rescuers in earthquake-hit Myanmar city plead for help as death toll passes 1 000 The Thai military blamed Cambodian soldiers for firing first, and later accused them of a 'targeted attack on civilians', saying two BM-21 rockets had hit a community in Surin province, wounding three people. Thailand's embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia 'as soon as possible'. China, a close ally of Cambodia, said it was 'deeply concerned' about the clashes, calling for dialogue — while urging its citizens in Cambodia to avoid the border with Thailand. Long-running row The violence 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. The border row also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct. ALSO READ: Rescue efforts underway after deadly Myanmar-Thailand earthquake A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia's former longtime ruler and father of Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called on both sides to 'stand down' and start talks. Malaysia currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which both Thailand and Cambodia are members. – By: © Agence France-Presse
