20 h. ago What Trump’s visa pause means for Southeast Asia and US regional priorities

The inclusion of four Southeast Asian nations in the United States’ 75-country visa suspension has thrown up questions over Washington’s foreign policy approach, including its interest in the region. Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand are among countries affected by the indefinite suspension, set to take effect on January 21, as the Donald Trump administration continues to roll out punitive measures to drastically restrict immigration. The list, released by the US Department of State on...

Politics

8 d. ago US pledges US$45 million to bolster Thailand, Cambodia truce amid Trump peace claims

The United States on Friday announced some US$45 million in aid as it tries to bolster a fragile truce between Thailand and Cambodia. Michael DeSombre, the top State Department official for East Asia, was visiting Thailand and Cambodia to discuss ways to strengthen the ceasefire, which US President Donald Trump has sought to highlight as an achievement. DeSombre said the United States would offer US$20 million to help both countries combat drug trafficking and cyber scams, which have become a...

Politics

9 d. ago Russia slams Western ‘axis of war’ as Kyiv claims US guarantees ‘essentially ready’

Russia on Thursday slammed a plan for European peacekeepers to be deployed to Ukraine as “dangerous” and dubbed Kyiv and its allies an “axis of war”, dousing hopes the plan could be a step towards ending the almost four-year war. US President Donald Trump has been pushing the warring sides to strike a deal to halt the conflict, running shuttle diplomacy between Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in a bid to get an agreement across the line. An initial 28-point plan which...

Events

1 week ago Thailand says Cambodia ‘violated’ border ceasefire after strike wounds soldier

Thailand’s army said on Tuesday its Cambodian counterpart claimed fresh cross-border fire was an accident, after Bangkok accused Cambodian forces of violating a 10-day-old truce with a strike that wounded a soldier. The decades-old dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing around 1 million on both sides. The two countries agreed a truce on December 27, ending three weeks...

Events

2 w. ago Cambodia accuses Thailand of ‘annexing’ Chouk Chey border village despite ceasefire

Cambodia said on Friday that Thai forces had taken control of a disputed border village, accusing Thailand of “annexing” the area after a truce halted deadly fighting along their contested frontier a week ago. The decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing more than one million on both sides. The two countries agreed a truce on December 27, pledging to...

Events

2 w. ago Diplomats from China, Cambodia and Thailand meet as Beijing seeks a stronger mediating role

Diplomats from China, Cambodia and Thailand meet as Beijing seeks a stronger mediating role  PBS

Politics

2 w. ago Thailand, Cambodia agree to build on ceasefire in talks in China’s Yunnan

Thailand, Cambodia agree to build on ceasefire in talks in China’s Yunnan  Al Jazeera

Events

2 w. ago Thailand’s 2025 of turmoil: border war, scam crackdowns and PM musical chairs

It was a year defined by war with Cambodia, but also the unravelling of cyber scams around Thailand’s borders, the rise and demise of political dynasties and another period of musical chairs in the prime minister’s office. There was also national mourning with the death of Queen Mother Sirikit, a towering figure over recent Thai history, and the omnipresence of Lalisa Manobal – or Lisa of South Korean girl group Blackpink – who rapped, acted, gyrated and produced content that seized the...

Events

3 w. ago Thailand, Cambodia sign new ceasefire deal to end deadly border clashes

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire on Saturday, the two countries said in a joint statement, pledging to end weeks of deadly border clashes. At least 47 people were killed and more than a million displaced in three weeks of fighting with artillery, tanks, drones and jets, according to official tallies. The conflict spread to nearly every border province on both sides, shattering an earlier truce for which US President Donald Trump took credit. “Both sides agree to an...

Events

3 w. ago Pope Leo calls for end to all wars in first Christmas as pontiff

In an appeal on Thursday during a message and blessing given at Christmas and Easter, Pope Leo called for an end to all global wars. Speaking from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, he lamented conflicts, political, social or military, in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, Myanmar, and Thailand and Cambodia, among others. Leo said people in Ukraine, where Russian troops are threatening cities critical to the country’s eastern defences, have been...

Events

3 w. ago Thailand election 2025: Anutin named PM candidate in February poll amid Cambodia conflict

Thailand’s caretaker leader Anutin Charnvirakul was picked by his party on Wednesday to stand as its candidate for prime minister in a general election in early February, as he bids to benefit from a wave of nationalism arising from an ongoing border conflict with Cambodia. Less than 100 days after he was elected premier, Anutin dissolved parliament earlier this month when his minority government faced the threat of a no-confidence vote. Speaking to party members and supporters on Wednesday,...

Politics

3 w. ago Thailand election 2025: caretaker PM Anutin officially joins ‘consequential’ February poll

Thailand’s caretaker leader Anutin Charnvirakul was picked by his party on Wednesday to stand as its candidate for prime minister in a general election in early February, as he bids to benefit from a wave of nationalism arising from an ongoing border conflict with Cambodia. Less than 100 days after he was elected premier, Anutin dissolved parliament earlier this month when his minority government faced the threat of a no-confidence vote. Speaking to party members and supporters on Wednesday,...

Politics

3 w. ago Malaysia says Asean must do ‘whatever is necessary’ to ease Thailand–Cambodia conflict

Malaysia on Monday said Asean had a responsibility to help find a solution to the ongoing conflict between Cambodia and Thailand as the bloc’s foreign ministers convened a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur to address the renewed fighting along their shared border. Fighting reignited in the contested frontier region earlier this month, displacing more than 500,000 people and killing dozens on either side, with Phnom Penh and Bangkok accusing each other of instigating violence and attacking...

Events

3 w. ago Malaysia says Cambodia, Thailand set for Christmas Eve ceasefire talks after Asean push

Malaysia on Monday said senior defence officials from Cambodia and Thailand will meet on Christmas Eve to discuss details of their pledged ceasefire, after Asean’s foreign ministers met in Kuala Lumpur to push for an immediate end to renewed fighting along their shared border. Fighting reignited in the contested frontier region earlier this month, displacing more than 500,000 people and killing dozens on either side, with Phnom Penh and Bangkok accusing each other of instigating violence and...

Events

3 w. ago Thailand strikes Cambodia casino, bridge as Asean seeks to de

Thailand bombed a casino and a bridge in Cambodia, according to reports, as clashes between the two sides continued unabated ahead of a special Asean foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday to discuss the conflict. Thai F-16 fighter jets struck O’Chik Bridge in Oddar Meanchey province on Friday night, The Nation Thailand paper reported, citing the Thai army. The bridge is located on a road about 62km (39 miles) from the Thai border and is said to be an ammunition supply route for Cambodian...

Events

4 w. ago Russia slams ‘unfounded’ claims of citizens fighting for Cambodia in Thailand border war

Russia has dismissed reports of its nationals fighting for Cambodia in the escalating border clash with Thailand, saying the “unfounded assertions undermine” the traditionally friendly ties between Moscow and Bangkok. The Russian embassy in the Southeast Asian kingdom said in a social media post on Monday that the claims emerged from outside Thailand. Thailand and Cambodia are locked in a deadly conflict that has killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the...

Events