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Japan Today
4 days ago
- 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)
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thai cabinet approves draft law for casinos, with limits for local gamblers
By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Orathai Sriring BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's cabinet on Thursday approved a draft law for casinos and entertainment complexes, as the government looks to attract more tourists and build a major gaming industry. Gambling is mostly banned in Thailand apart from state-controlled horse racing, the lottery and on some sports but successive governments have pressed the case for allowing casinos to draw in more foreign visitors and create more jobs and state revenue. But the latest draft approved by cabinet will significantly limit how many Thai punters can go to casinos, with an entry fee of 5,000 baht and proof of at least 50 million baht in bank deposits ($1.47 million), effectively blocking large swathes of the population, where per capita gross domestic product is about $7,300. A deputy finance minister had earlier this month said the assets requirement for Thai nationals would be dropped because it would exclude too many people. Another restriction is that the casino area may only occupy up to 10% of the entire space of an entertainment complex, according to a government statement. The draft law will be sent to parliament, and if passed, will also need approval from the Senate and the king. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters the details of the law were not final as parliament would have the final say. A Citi report late last year estimated that about half of people aged 20 and more in Thailand could be casino players, providing a base for the country to potentially become the world's third-largest gambling destination. The government, led by the populist Pheu Thai party, hopes to attract at least 100 billion baht ($3 billion) in new investment in casinos and entertainment complexes and see an annual boost to foreign arrivals of 5% to 10%, while generating revenue of more than 12 billion baht a year. Despite most betting and gambling being outlawed in Thailand, illicit operations have operated for years. A January opinion poll in Thailand indicated there was opposition to the plan, however, and some political parties have argued that building a gambling industry would worsen social problems. Several countries in Southeast Asia have legalised casinos, but only a few like wealthy Singapore has been successful in drawing global giants such as Las Vegas Sands Corp on the back of robust regulations. Tourism is a key driver of Thailand, Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. This year, the government expects 38 million foreign arrivals, closing in on its pre-pandemic record of nearly 40 million tourists.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
Malaysia warns against travel to southern Thailand after attacks
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Malaysia has warned its citizens against travelling to southern Thailand after bombings and shootings by suspected insurgents killed five people and injured 13 others at the weekend. The attacks occurred in the mainly ethnic Malay Muslim southernmost provinces of predominantly Buddhist Thailand, where more than 7,300 people have been killed since a decades-old separatist rebellion reignited in 2004. Gunmen fired into a district office and detonated a car bomb in the Sungai Kolok border town of Narathiwat province, popular with Malaysian tourists, killing two Thai security volunteers, authorities said. In neighbouring Pattani province, a roadside bomb killed a volunteer ranger and two government officials. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. "Malaysians are strongly encouraged to postpone non-essential travel to these areas for the time being," the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday. About 4.9 million of the 35.5 million visitors to Thailand last year were from Malaysia, making it the second biggest source market for tourism after China. Security has been tightened in the area, Narathiwat governor, Trakul Thotham, told Reuters. "This kind of incident has not occurred in the last four to five years," he said, adding and that there were still Malaysians in the area and there would be some impact in the initial stages. (Reporting Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng in Bangkok and Ashley Tang in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Martin Petty)
