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RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Thai fighter jet bombs Cambodian targets as border battle escalates
By Panarat Thepgumpanat , Chantha Lach and Panu Wongcha-um , Reuters Royal Thai Army soldiers are pictured on armoured vehicles on a road in Chachoengsao province. Photo: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP Thailand scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia after artillery volleys from both sides killed at least 11 civilians, as border tension boiled over into rare armed conflict between the Southeast Asian countries. Both blamed each other for starting a morning clash at a disputed area of the border, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations 209 kilometres (130 miles) apart along a frontier where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century. Thailand positioned six F-16 fighter jets in an uncommon combat deployment, one of which was mobilised to strike a Cambodian military target, among measures Cambodia's foreign ministry called "reckless and brutal military aggression". Thailand's military said the use of air power was to strike with precision. The worst fighting between the countries in 13 years came after Thailand on Wednesday (local time) recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh and expelled Cambodia's envoy, in response to a second Thai soldier losing a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops. The two countries have been braced for conflict since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish, with troops reinforced on both sides of the border amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. Thailand said there were 12 fatalities in three Thai provinces, 11 of them civilians including an eight-year-old boy. Authorities said 31 people were injured on Thursday. The number of Cambodian casualties was unclear. "We condemn this - using heavy weapons without a clear target, outside of conflict zones... the use of force and did not adhere to international law," Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters. "We remain committed to peaceful means and there should be discussions, but what happened was a provocation and we had to defend ourselves." Thailand's Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin told reporters a hospital was hit by shelling in Surin province, an attack he said should be considered "a war crime". Cambodian government, defence and foreign ministry officials at a press conference gave no indication of fatalities sustained or any estimate of the number of people evacuated. In a letter to Pakistan, the current president of the United Nations Security Council, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, urged the body to convene a meeting to stop what he called "unprovoked and premeditated military aggression" by Thailand in violation of international law. As clashes spread to different border areas, Thai villagers including children and the elderly fled to concrete shelters fortified with sandbags and car tires. "How many rounds have been fired? It's countless," an unidentified woman in Surin province told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service while hiding in the shelter as gunfire and explosions were heard in the background. Video footage showed a plume of thick black smoke rising from a gas station in the neighbouring Sisaket province, as firefighters rushed to extinguish the blaze. Thailand has evacuated more than 40,000 people from border areas, moving many to temporary shelters, where elderly people and small children gathered on floor mats as authorities prepared meals and unloaded food and bottled water from trucks. "I'm worried about my children," said Suphap Wongwai, an evacuee in Surin province. "My children are scared and crying." Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over jurisdiction of various undemarcated points along their 817km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962 but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. That led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths. Cambodia in June said it had asked the ICJ to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach. Thailand's use of a fighter jet underlines its military advantage over Cambodia in terms of size and range of defence hardware. The clashes have caused jitters in the region, with the Philippines and Vietnam calling for restraint and China expressing willingness to play a role in promoting de-escalation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Thailand and Cambodia are members, said he would speak to leaders of both countries. "The least we can expect from them is to just stand down and hopefully to try and enter into negotiations," Anwar said. The clashes erupted hours after a downgrade in diplomatic relations between the two countries following a series of landmine injuries to Thai soldiers patrolling border areas. Thailand accused Cambodia of placing the mines recently, which Phnom Penh dismissed as baseless. De-mining groups estimate as many as 4-6 million landmines remain in Cambodia following years of civil war. - Reuters
The Star
13-06-2025
- The Star
Air India flight makes emergency landing in Thailand after bomb threat
BANGKOK (Reuters) -An Air India flight from Thailand's Phuket to India's capital New Delhi received a bomb threat on Friday and made an emergency landing on the island, airport authorities said. Passengers were being escorted from the plane, flight AI 379, in line with emergency plans, an Airports of Thailand official said. There were 156 passengers on the flight and the bomb threat was recieved on board the plane, it said in a statement. The aircraft took off from Phuket airport for the Indian capital at 9:30 AM (0230) on Friday, but made a wide loop around the Andaman Sea and landed back at the Thai island, according to flight tracker Flightradar24. AOT did not provide details on the bomb threat. (Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Martin Petty)
Japan Today
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Thailand and Cambodia reinforcing troops on disputed border after May skirmish, Thai minister says
Royalist activists hold placards as they protest in front of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, following a recent clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border on May 28, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Devjyot Ghoshal Thailand has reinforced its military presence along a disputed border with Cambodia, following an increase in troops on the other side, Thailand's defense minister said on Saturday. Tensions between the two Southeast Asian countries have been simmering since a Cambodian soldier was killed on May 28 in a brief conflict in an undemarcated border area. For days, the two Southeast Asian governments have been exchanging carefully worded statements committing to dialogue. But Phumtham Wechayachai, who also serves as Thailand's deputy prime minister, said Cambodia had rejected proposals in bilateral talks held on Thursday that could have led to a de-escalation. "Furthermore, there has been a reinforcement of military presence, which has exacerbated tensions along the border," Phumtham said in a statement. "Consequently, the Royal Thai Government has deemed it necessary to implement additional measures and to reinforce our military posture accordingly." He did not provide details on the extent of reinforcements by either side. In a separate statement on Saturday, the Thai army said Cambodian soldiers and civilians had repeatedly made incursions into Thailand's territory. "These provocations, and the build-up of military forces, indicate a clear intent to use force," the Thai army said, adding that it would take control of all Thai checkpoints along the border with Cambodia. Although border checkpoints between the two countries remain open, they may gradually become more restrictive, ranging from earlier closing times to complete closures, depending on security assessments in each area, Thai army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree said. Thailand currently operates 17 official border crossings with Cambodia, spanning seven provinces along their shared 817-km (508 miles) frontier, government data shows. A spokesperson for Cambodia's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters on the Thai army's announcement. "This is our stance, not to initiate conflict, but to defend ourselves," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in speech earlier on Saturday. "Our guiding principles are ... respect for international legal frameworks. These grounded strategies are key to safeguarding our nation's sovereignty," he said, adding that its armed forces were ready to defend against aggression. Thailand remains committed to pursuing bilateral dialogue as a means to restore stability, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. "The Thai side reaffirms its readiness to engage through established bilateral mechanisms, particularly the upcoming meeting of the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), scheduled for June 14," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told reporters. "We sincerely hope that the negotiations will proceed in good faith", he added. The military reinforcements come despite efforts by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is the current chair of the Southeast Asian ASEAN bloc, and China to reduce tensions. Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817 km (508 miles) land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony. Tension escalated in 2008 over an 11th-century Hindu temple, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a week-long exchange of artillery in 2011. Current governments in both countries, however, have enjoyed warm ties. Former leaders Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand and Cambodia's Hun Sen have had a close relationship, and Thaksin's daughter and Hun Sen's son are now the incumbent prime ministers of their countries. Still, nationalist sentiment has risen in Thailand and the Thai military said on Friday it is ready to launch a "high-level operation" to counter any violation of its sovereignty. Cambodia said this week it would refer disputes over four parts of the border to the International Court of Justice and asked Thailand to cooperate. Phumtham reiterated in his Saturday statement that Thailand does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court and proposed that all boundary-related issues be resolved through bilateral negotiations. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Thai construction tycoon and 14 others surrender to police over fatal Bangkok tower collapse
Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat ©Reuters A Thai construction tycoon and 14 others surrendered to police on Friday over a building collapse that killed nearly a hundred workers during a powerful earthquake in March, authorities said. The partially built 30-storey State Audit Office tower in Bangkok was the only building to collapse from tremors emanating from the powerful 7.7 magnitude quake in neighbouring Myanmar. Rescue teams have recovered 92 bodies during a six week operation from the collapsed site. Four were still missing.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump tariffs threaten to pile more pain on Thailand's rice sector
By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat NAKHON PATHOM, Thailand (Reuters) -Thai farmer Daeng Donsingha was already worried for her family of nine when rice prices in the world's second-largest exporter of the staple crashed this year after India resumed exports. Now, she's also fretting over the tariffs unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which could slash demand for Thai rice in its most valuable foreign market and create turmoil in an export industry worth billions of dollars. "The problem is that the price of rice is very low, while other costs such as fertilisers and farmland rent is higher," the 70-year-old farmer said, after selling her harvest at a rice mill in central Thailand. "I'm losing money." Thailand is among Southeast Asian nations hardest hit by Trump's proposed measures, facing a 36% tariff on goods unless ongoing negotiations are successful before the U.S president's moratorium on the tariffs ends in July. "If the U.S. imposes the tariff, our jasmine rice will be too expensive to compete," said Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association. Last year, Thailand shipped 849,000 metric tones of rice to the United States, mainly of its most expensive fragrant jasmine variety, worth 28.03 billion baht ($735 million), according to the association. In all, Thailand exported 9.94 million tons of rice in 2024, worth 225.65 billion baht ($6.82 billion), with the U.S. as its third-largest market by volume, but most lucrative. Potential U.S. tariffs would stall exports and hand the advantage to Thailand's main regional competitors, like Vietnam, where prices are significantly lower, said Chookiat, whose association is targeting exports of 7.5 million tons this year. "From $1,000 per ton, the price would rise to $1,400 to $1,500," he said. "Importers will shift to Vietnamese jasmine rice, which is only $580 per tonne." Rice from Vietnam is cheaper because production costs are lower, farmers grow different varieties of the crop and bring in multiple harvests. 'WON'T SURVIVE' Farmers in Thailand, Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, have already been on edge because of a 30% drop in domestic prices after India resumed exports in September. The country accounted for 40% of world rice exports in 2022 before the ban was introduced. Analysts say there is no room for Thailand to cut prices to compete. "Our production costs are high, while our yield is low," said Somporn Isvilanonda, an independent agricultural economist. "If we dump prices, farmers won't survive." The industry and farmers are pinning their hopes on negotiations between a Thai delegation led by Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira and the United States. Rice shipments, however, are already sliding. Overall exports fell 30% in the first quarter as countries delayed buying decisions and India's return boosted supply, according to the exporters association, forecasting a similar decline over the next three months. The concessions Thailand is proposing to counter Trump, including bringing tariffs of U.S corn down from 73% to zero, would also hurt Thai farmers, according to industry groups. A flood of cheap imported corn could further depress prices of broken rice and rice bran, which are extracted during rice milling and used in animal feed, said Banjong Tangchitwattanakul, President of the Rice Millers Association. On April 8, four farm groups, including rice millers, petitioned the government to block imports of U.S. corn and soybean meal, arguing they would squeeze prices of domestic crops for animal feed, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters. The government has pledged that any concession it makes in negotiations with the United States will not undermine domestic industries. But for farmers like Daeng, decisions made halfway across the world could jeopardise her livelihood. "My children have been following the news," she said, "They were telling me that 'we won't be able to survive, mum, if things go ahead like this.'" ($1 = 33.0800 baht)
