Latest news with #shelling
News24
12 hours ago
- Business
- News24
‘Thank God, we fled': Thailand granny returns to destroyed home after deadly Cambodia war
After hearing that a nearby convenience store had been hit by shelling from Cambodia last week, Koon Kantho quickly packed her essentials, locked up her home and scurried to safety at a relative's house with her family. Moments after they left, the 68-year-old said she heard a loud blast but didn't turn back to see what had happened. It wasn't until her son-in-law returned later that she learnt that her home in the Kantharalak district of Thailand's Sisaket province had been reduced to rubble by firing from across the border. 'Thank God, we fled,' Koon said on Tuesday, as she walked through the debris of the structure that had sheltered her family of six, including her 7-year-old granddaughter, and also housed a small grocery store. 'If we hadn't fled, we would have perished.' Border communities in Thailand and Cambodia bore the brunt of the five-day conflict between the neighbours - the heaviest fighting between them in over a decade - before it was halted by a ceasefire agreement announced on Monday. The border clashes, during which Thailand deployed F-16 fighter jets and Cambodia used BM-21 missile launchers, have left at least 40 people dead, many of them civilians, and displaced over 300 000 people on both sides. The Royal Thai Army/Anadolu via Getty Images With calm returning to the frontier, some residents like Koon - who also fled her house for a day during clashes in 2011 - are making their way back to their villages to see what is left of their homes and lives. Thailand has estimated the initial costs of evacuation and damaged property at more than 10 billion baht ($307.88 million), Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said on Tuesday, adding the government is preparing an initial budget of 25 billion baht to mitigate the conflict's economic impact. When she returned after the ceasefire announcement, Koon said her heart pounded as she saw her home reduced to splintered wood and twisted beams. I still have a lot of luck, if not, I wouldn't be standing here. Koon Kantho Walking through the debris of her home, Koon picked up a few precious mementos: A photo of the monk she prays to, a framed picture of a family member and her wristwatch. Koon said she never imagined losing the home this way, and hopes that the government will step in to help. 'I don't know where I will live now,' she said. 'It's all gone, nothing is left.'
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
'Thank God, we fled': Thai grandmother returns to ruined home after border conflict
KANTHARALAK, Thailand, July 29 (Reuters) - After hearing that a nearby convenience store had been hit by shelling from Cambodia last week, Koon Kantho quickly packed her essentials, locked up her home and scurried to safety at a relative's house with her family. Moments after they left, the 68-year-old said she heard a loud blast but didn't turn back to see what had happened. It wasn't until her son-in-law returned later that she learnt that her home in the Kantharalak district of Thailand's Sisaket province had been reduced to rubble by firing from across the border. "Thank God, we fled," Koon said on Tuesday, as she walked through the debris of the structure that had sheltered her family of six, including her seven-year-old granddaughter, and also housed a small grocery store. "If we hadn't fled, we would have perished." Border communities in Thailand and Cambodia bore the brunt of the five-day conflict between the neighbours - the heaviest fighting between them in over a decade - before it was halted by a ceasefire agreement announced on Monday. The border clashes, during which Thailand deployed F-16 fighter jets and Cambodia used BM-21 missile launchers, have left at least 40 people dead, many of them civilians, and displaced over 300,000 people on both sides. With calm returning to the frontier, some residents like Koon - who also fled her house for a day during clashes in 2011 - are making their way back to their villages to see what is left of their homes and lives. Thailand has estimated the initial costs of evacuation and damaged property at more than 10 billion baht ($307.88 million), Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said on Tuesday, adding the government is preparing an initial budget of 25 billion baht to mitigate the conflict's economic impact. When she returned after the ceasefire announcement, Koon said her heart pounded as she saw her home reduced to splintered wood and twisted beams. "I still have a lot of luck, if not I wouldn't be standing here," she said, almost in tears. Walking through the debris of her home, Koon picked up a few precious mementos: a photo of the monk she prays to, a framed picture of a family member and her wristwatch. Koon said she never imagined losing the home this way, and hopes that the government will step in to help. "I don't know where I will live now," she said. "It's all gone, nothing is left."
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Five dead after Ukraine and Russia trade drone and missile attacks as talks stall
In Ukraine's Dnipro region, three people died in Russian shelling, while two were killed in Russia's Rostov region after a Ukrainian drone strike. Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 235 drones and 27 missiles in a 'massive combined attack' overnight. Ten missiles and 25 drones found their targets, striking nine locations, while air defences shot down or intercepted the rest, according to Ukraine's Air Force. 'A terrible night. A massive combined attack on the region,' Serhiy Lysak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, wrote on Telegram. An additional six people were injured, he said, posting photos of smashed buildings, burnt-out cars and firefighters battling blazes. In Dnipro city, a multi-storey building and a business were damaged, and a fire engulfed a shopping centre outside the city. Ukraine's southern Dnipro and northeastern Sumy regions also came under heavy rocket and drone attack. Officials in Sumy reported three people injured after Russian drones hit a central square and damaged the regional administration building. Kharkiv also sustained intense bombardment. Ukraine's emergency services said six people were hurt, including four rescuers injured in a so-called 'double tap' strike, where a second attack follows the first to target emergency workers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that Russia would feel the consequences. Russian military enterprises, Russian logistics, Russian airports must feel that the Russian war has real consequences for them,' he said. 'There can be absolutely no silence in response to such strikes, and Ukrainian long-range drones ensure this.' Ukraine's attacks on Russia have also intensified in recent months. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 54 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 24 over the Bryansk region and 12 over Rostov. Officials in Moscow and other areas also reported drone attacks, though most were shot down. In Russia's Rostov region, which borders Ukraine, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said a Ukrainian drone attack killed two people. Drones also struck an industrial facility in the neighbouring Stavropol region, sparking a brief fire, according to governor Vladimir Vladimirov. Officials also reported drone attacks on Moscow and the Penza region southeast of the capital, though they were intercepted. In Russia's Ingushetia region in the North Caucasus, a woman and three children were injured after a drone fell on a home, regional health officials said. On the battlefield, Russia's Defence Ministry claimed to have seized the village of Zelenyi Hai in the eastern Donetsk region and Maliivka in the Dnipro region. Kyiv did not comment on the claims. Mr Zelensky said he had been briefed by Chief of Staff Oleksandr Syrsky on 'active and long-range actions on Russian territory,' including clashes in Pokrovsky and efforts to repel Russian advances into the Sumy region. 'Our forces are consistently blocking Russian attempts to advance deep into the Sumy region from the border,' he said. Mr Zelensky added that drone production in Ukraine this year would 'significantly exceed' earlier forecasts. In Moscow, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that peace talks had never truly been on the West's agenda. 'If the West wanted 'real peace' in Ukraine, it would stop supplying Kyiv with weapons,' she said, according to state news agency TASS. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed its overnight strikes had hit Ukrainian military sites 'that manufacture components for missile weapons, as well as produce ammunition and explosives.' The Independent could not verify this claim.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thai man mourns wife and children killed in shelling near Cambodia border
Thai man mourns wife and children killed in shelling near Cambodia border By Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook SISAKET, Thailand (Reuters) -When the Thai and Cambodian armies began shelling at their contested border on Thursday, Komsan Prachan thought his family was far enough away from the fighting to be safe. The farm worker received a phone call from his children's school asking parents to collect their kids, so he and his wife went and picked up their 14-year-old daughter, 9-year-old son, and their son's friend. On the way home, they stopped at a gas station about 3 km (2 miles) from their house. Moments later, an artillery shell slammed into the station, destroying the attached 7-Eleven convenience store where Komsan's family and the friend had gone to buy snacks. "All I was thinking then was, my wife and kids," the 40-year-old told Reuters at a relative's home in Sisaket province. "I lost all hope. I could only stand and watch." More than 30 people, mostly civilians, have been killed on both sides of the border since the fighting started on Thursday, in what has become the worst escalation between the two Southeast Asian nations in more than a decade. Both sides have accused each other of starting the conflict. Komsan could hear explosions from early on Thursday morning, but he did not think he needed to evacuate because his house was not in a danger zone. "I didn't think it would hit this area. There was no bunker around that area as it was considered a safe zone." Komsan and his wife met in high school. They married after working together for several years in Bangkok, and raised their two children. "Having them in my life was the greatest blessing," he said. More than 130,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, with schools forced to close their doors. Local university campuses are being used as temporary shelters for those forced to flee their homes. "The war is good for no one. They should both talk to each other peacefully. The war only brings loss, loss, and loss," said Komsan. The bereaved husband and father accused the Cambodian government of indiscriminately firing into civilian areas. "This is not just war, this is murder." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thai man mourns wife and children killed in shelling near Cambodia border
Thai man mourns wife and children killed in shelling near Cambodia border By Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook SISAKET, Thailand (Reuters) -When the Thai and Cambodian armies began shelling at their contested border on Thursday, Komsan Prachan thought his family was far enough away from the fighting to be safe. The farm worker received a phone call from his children's school asking parents to collect their kids, so he and his wife went and picked up their 14-year-old daughter, 9-year-old son, and their son's friend. On the way home, they stopped at a gas station about 3 km (2 miles) from their house. Moments later, an artillery shell slammed into the station, destroying the attached 7-Eleven convenience store where Komsan's family and the friend had gone to buy snacks. "All I was thinking then was, my wife and kids," the 40-year-old told Reuters at a relative's home in Sisaket province. "I lost all hope. I could only stand and watch." More than 30 people, mostly civilians, have been killed on both sides of the border since the fighting started on Thursday, in what has become the worst escalation between the two Southeast Asian nations in more than a decade. Both sides have accused each other of starting the conflict. Komsan could hear explosions from early on Thursday morning, but he did not think he needed to evacuate because his house was not in a danger zone. "I didn't think it would hit this area. There was no bunker around that area as it was considered a safe zone." Komsan and his wife met in high school. They married after working together for several years in Bangkok, and raised their two children. "Having them in my life was the greatest blessing," he said. More than 130,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, with schools forced to close their doors. Local university campuses are being used as temporary shelters for those forced to flee their homes. "The war is good for no one. They should both talk to each other peacefully. The war only brings loss, loss, and loss," said Komsan. The bereaved husband and father accused the Cambodian government of indiscriminately firing into civilian areas. "This is not just war, this is murder."
