Latest news with #ThaiMilitary
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Thailand ready for ‘high-level operation' if Cambodia border row escalates
Thailand's military has said it is ready to launch a 'high-level operation' to counter violations of its sovereignty, offering its strongest comments yet following the re-eruption of a long-running border dispute with Cambodia. In a statement on Thursday night, the Thai military said its intelligence had gathered 'worrisome' indications that Cambodia has stepped up its military readiness along their shared border. 'The army is now ready for a high-level military operation in case it is necessary to retaliate against the violation of sovereignty,' the statement said. 'Operations of units at the border have been conducted carefully, calmly and based on an understanding of the situation to prevent losses on all sides, but at the same time, are ready to defend the country's sovereignty to the fullest extent if the situation is called for,' the statement added. The top brass of Thailand's armed forces are scheduled to hold a closed-door meeting on Friday afternoon, while the country's army, navy and air force have also raised their combat readiness, according to the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS). Colonel Chainarong Kasee, a commander of Thailand's 12th infantry regiment of the Royal Guards, said his troops have been ordered to check that all equipment is in good working order, Thai PBS also reports. On May 28, Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence said Thai troops shot and killed one of its soldiers during a brief firefight in a disputed border region between Cambodia's Preah Vihear province and Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province. The ministry accused Thai soldiers of opening fire first on a Cambodian military post in the contested border zone. Thailand's Minister of Defence Phumtham Wechayachai said Cambodian forces opened fire first. The Southeast Asian neighbours have repeatedly clashed in Preah Vihear's border region over the years, where a 900-year-old temple sits at the heart of a decades-long dispute that has stirred nationalist sentiment on both sides of the border. Several deadly clashes took place in the area between 2008 – the year Cambodia registered the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and 2011, killing about 40 people, including five civilians. A 2013 ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) upheld a 1962 judgement by the same body awarding part of the land around Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia and instructing Thailand to withdraw its personnel stationed in the area. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, the son of long-ruling former leader Hun Sen, has said Cambodia will file disputes over four parts of the border to the ICJ for adjudication and asked for Thailand's cooperation in the process. Thailand, which has not recognised the ICJ's jurisdiction since 1960, has instead called for bilateral talks. 'Thailand and Cambodia already have existing bilateral mechanisms to address these issues,' Thailand's government said in a statement. 'Thailand reiterates its position as a neighbour committed to resolving issues peacefully and based on international law, treaties, and agreements … as well as satellite imagery and other verified evidence,' the statement added. A meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission – which addresses border demarcation issues – is slated for June 14.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
American academic returning to U.S. after Thai charges dropped
May 30 (UPI) -- An American academic facing up to 15 years in a Thai prison on allegations of insulting the monarchy has been permitted to leave the country, according to a nonprofit that advocates for Americans imprisoned abroad. Global Reach told UPI in an emailed statement that Paul Chambers was permitted to leave Thailand on Thursday after resolving what it called "false" lese-majeste charges. "I am relieved that this situation has been resolved," Chambers said in a statement. "I have always had great respect for the Thai royal family, and anyone who knows me understands that these charges were always based on false allegations by unnamed parties in the military." Chambers, a Thai studies scholar and lecturer at Thailand's Naresuan University, was arrested and charged by Thai authorities in April following a complaint filed against him by the military over an October online post promoting a webinar that he was to participate in. The English-language post was published on the website of Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. The academic webinar was on Thai studies, and Chambers, a leading expert on the Thai military and Southeast Asian politics, gave a talk about the Thai military. Chambers was not involved in the post's creation. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Chambers was allowed to leave the country after the Attorney General's Office announced Wednesday that prosecutors decided not to continue the case against the American. Prosecutors made the decision in early May, but the attorney general needed to affirm the decision. Chambers was originally detained April 9, but was later permitted to leave police custody and was required to wear an ankle monitor and surrender his U.S. passport and work visa, Global Reach said. Following his arrest, the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying it was monitoring Chambers' situation while condemning the controversial lese-majeste law. Kieran Ramsey, who worked with Chambers on behalf of Global Reach, praised the United States for its response to the case, saying, "This was one of the best responses I have ever seen from the U.S. government." According to Global Reach, Chambers will return to Oklahoma to see his family and will work from the United States. More than 270 people have been detained, prosecuted and punished under the lese-majeste laws since 2020, according to an expert panel from United Nations that said such laws "have no place in a democratic country."
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning about little-known law for Aussies planning a trip to Thailand
Aussies are being warned about a law considered one of the strictest in the world that penalises both locals and foreigners from criticising the Thai Royal family. American academic Dr Paul Chambers was jailed, had his passport seized and lost both his visa and his job at the Naresuan University after he was arrested over a webinar titled ' Thailand 's 2024 Military Reshuffles: What Do They Mean?'. Dr Chambers was charged in April for breaking Thailand's lese majeste law which carries a jail sentence of between three and fifteen years. The professor is barred from leaving the South East Asian country under Article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code despite not writing or publishing the webinar. The lecturer was described at the university as a visiting fellow who was due to present the webinar in June, after it was first published by academics in Singapore. 'He's not allowed to leave the country, we are not sure exactly why,' his brother Kit Chambers told Reuters. Dr Chambers is considered an expert in the relationship between the military and civilians in Thailand and other countries in South East Asia. In 2024, a Thai man was sentenced to 50 years in prison on multiple sentences for derogatory comments he made about the Royal family. The number of people accused of breaking the lese majeste laws is on the rise with at least 272 charged in recent years. Thailand's constitution places the King in a position of 'revered worship' with the palace seen as sacrosanct - or too valuable to be interfered with. Maha Vajiralongkorn has ruled as Thailand's King since 2016 and is the tenth monarch to lead the country from the Chakri dynasty. He has become known for his luxurious lifestyle and $43million fortune as well as his 'hands-on' approach to ruling in harsh contrast to his father who ruled for 70 years. King Vajiralongkorn, who married his fourth wife Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana in 2019, reportedly owns 38 aircraft, 300 luxury vehicles and 50 boats. Aussies have been told to heed the travel warning before flying to Thailand. 'Insulting the monarchy, or defacing images of the monarchy – including on a bank note bearing the King's image – can lead to prison terms of up to 15 years,' a notice on states. Social media posts that criticise the Royal family can also land the estimated 800,000 Aussies who fly to Thailand each year in hot water.
CNA
08-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Hundreds flee across Thai border after attack on Myanmar military
BANGKOK: More than 300 Myanmar people fled into Thailand to seek refuge following an assault on the military by ethnic armed groups, Thailand said on Thursday (May 8), days after the junta extended a post-earthquake ceasefire. Myanmar has been mired in civil conflict since a military coup in 2021, with the junta battling a coalition of ethnic armed organisations and pro-democracy resistance forces. Wednesday's attack by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and its allied Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) targeted a military base in Kayin state, about 2.5km from the Thai border, according to the Thai military. "The attack involved a close-range encirclement of the base and the use of armed drones to continuously drop explosives throughout the day," a statement said. By Thursday, 327 Myanmar nationals had crossed into Thailand and were sheltering in two temporary sites, including a temple, with Thai military and police providing security and humanitarian aid, officials said. Thai forces have ramped up patrols along the border in Tak province to prevent what officials described as a potential "breach of sovereignty by foreign armed forces". Myanmar's military government and various armed groups opposed to it announced a ceasefire after the Mar 28 quake to help relief and recovery efforts. The truce has been repeatedly broken by air strikes by the junta and attacks by armed groups.
