Latest news with #VijianParamasivam
Barnama
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Barnama
Cambodia-Thailand Truce Grabs Indochina Media
By Vijian Paramasivam PHNOM PENH, July 29 (Bernama) -- The just-concluded ceasefire talks between Cambodia and Thailand in Malaysia, which led to a pause in the border conflict between the two neighbours, received wide media coverage across the region. In Indochina, where border issues remain sensitive, the temporary ceasefire made headlines after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai reached an agreement to end military confrontations. bootstrap slideshow Phnom Penh-based English dailies, Khmer Times and The Phnom Penh Post (now an online portal), provided extensive coverage of the agreement that took place in Putrajaya on Monday. 'Midnight ceasefire in place: Manet thanks all parties, looks forward to return to normalcy,' said The Post, while Khmer Times headlined 'Ceasefire Breakthrough.' The Khmer-language Kampuchea Thmey Daily has been giving the news prominent coverage since the lastest round of military confrontation broke out on July 24. In Vietnam, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed the Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire agreement, stating that it was an important step in easing tensions, as reported by online news portal VNExpress. The ceasefire occurred on the day Vietnam commemorated its 30th anniversary of joining ASEAN. In conflict-hit Myanmar, state media The Global New Light of Myanmar's World Page lead said: 'Thailand, Cambodia agree on ceasefire, says Malaysian PM.'
Barnama
4 days ago
- Politics
- Barnama
Cambodian Villages Abandoned, Rural Schools Shut As Border Tensions Mount
More rural people are likely to be displaced as there is no sign of the conflict ending. (Ministry of Information, Cambodia.) The Cambodian government is preparing temporary shelters for villagers fleeing their homes. (credit: Ministry of Information, Cambodia) Over 35,000 people have been internally displaced due to the Cambodia-Thai border crisis. (credit: Ministry of Information, Cambodia.) By Vijian Paramasivam PHNOM PENH, July 26 (Bernama) -- Ongoing military clashes along the Cambodian-Thai border have forced thousands of villagers in northern Cambodia to flee their homes since fighting broke out on Thursday morning. Rural communities are bearing the brunt of the renewed conflict, which has erupted between Cambodian and Thai forces in contested border areas. bootstrap slideshow The Ministry of National Defence spokesperson, Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, said about 35,800 people in Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Pursat and Banteay Meanchey provinces have been evacuated. She said five Cambodian soldiers and eight civilians have been killed, while 21 soldiers and 50 civilians have been injured since the clashes began on Thursday. Many villagers are taking refuge in monasteries or camps established by the Cambodian government in safe zones. In Pursat, bordering Thailand, about 350 families have been evacuated to safer areas with basic amenities, including water, food supplies and medical services. She said the Thai army is continuing its offensive operations into areas far beyond the original conflict zone on Saturday morning. 'Thailand's aggression has spread to various Cambodian provinces. Thai forces launched five artillery shells targeting multiple locations in the Thma Da commune area of Veal Veng district, Pursat province,' she said.
Barnama
6 days ago
- Politics
- Barnama
Cambodia Downgrades Diplomatic Ties With Thailand As Border Tensions Swell
By Vijian Paramasivam PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Bernama) -- The Cambodian government downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand to the lowest level on Thursday, state media reported. According to the state-owned Agency Kampuchea Press, ties would be reduced to the Second Charge d'Affaires level. bootstrap slideshow Cambodian diplomatic staff based in Bangkok will also be recalled. The Thai diplomatic mission in Phnom Penh has also been instructed to do the same, according to the report. Cambodia's diplomatic retaliation comes after the Thai government on Wednesday decided to downgrade diplomatic ties with Cambodia following a landmine explosion that injured several of its soldiers. Five Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion in An Se village, Choam Khsant district in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, on July 23. However Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence rejected the Thai accusations, calling them baseless. Earlier on July 16, three Thai soldiers were injured while patrolling the sensitive border area near Preah Vihear province, Thai media reported.
Barnama
7 days ago
- Health
- Barnama
Malaysian Doctors Help More Cambodian Kids Smile with Pride in Latest Mission
By Vijian Paramasivam PHNOM PENH, July 23 (Bernama) -- Smile Cambodia, led by a team of Malaysian doctors, is transforming the lives of children with facial deformities and offering renewed hope to underserved communities without access to professional care. The independent charity organisation that largely depends on volunteer doctors, both foreign and local, successfully conducted complicated surgeries on children suffering from cleft lip and cleft palate anomalies last weekend. bootstrap slideshow The recent mission was held at the Smile Centre in Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh, where three Malaysian specialists participated in the reconstructive surgeries, along with Cambodian experts. Sixty patients were screened at the centre from July 17 to 19. 'The recent surgical mission is our fourth this year. We had targeted to treat 30 patients during the two-day surgical mission. We treated 44 patients, including many difficult cases. 'Many parents of cleft patients expressed their happiness and gratitude when they left the hospital. Our surgical mission was a success,' Smile Cambodia Vice Chairman and Executive Director Chan Kok Choy told Bernama. The organisation, led by Chan, a former Malaysian banker turned social worker based in Cambodia, brings joy to children suffering from facial deformities, alleviates pain for their parents and introduces advanced medical surgeries to rural communities. 'We are grateful to both our Malaysian and Cambodian medical volunteers for their professionalism, commitment, hard work and dedication to treat every patient with care.
Barnama
21-07-2025
- Climate
- Barnama
ASEAN Disaster Simulation Exercise Begins Amid Typhoon Wipha
File photo of ARDEX-25 held in Yogyakarta in August 2023. Photo credit: ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta. By Vijian Paramasivam PHNOM PENH, July 21 (Bernama) -- ASEAN disaster management officials began conducting a simulation exercise on Monday to review standard operating procedures (SOPs) and improve the region's preparedness to face crises. This year's ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX-25) is taking place against the backdrop of Typhoon Wipha having lashed parts of the Southeast Asian region since Sunday. bootstrap slideshow The exercise is jointly organised by Cambodia's National Committee on Disaster Management (NCDM) and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management. ARDEX is a full-scale exercise held biennially to test ASEAN's disaster preparedness and emergency response mechanisms. The activities include preparation processes, search and rescue operations, impact assessment, and national-level immediate response strategies linked to ASEAN, to save the lives of disaster victims. Typhoon Wipha made landfall in the Philippines and northern Vietnam over the weekend, causing panic and destruction of houses. Outside the region, China, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong have also suffered from Typhoon Wipha, which has unleashed heavy rainfall and disrupted flight schedules. ARDEX-25 is held from July 21 to 24 at the Special Forces Command Headquarters of the Royal Cambodian Army Force base in the Kandal province.
