18 h. 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...

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38 h. ago China sends special envoy to mediate as Thailand and Cambodia exchange fire

Beijing sent a special envoy to Thailand and Cambodia on Thursday for peace mediation efforts after the two Southeast Asian neighbours engaged in another major exchange of fire. “As a close neighbour and friend of Cambodia and Thailand, China closely follows the ongoing border conflict between the two countries and has shuttled between the two sides to promote peace,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement on Wednesday. “Through its own way, China has been working actively...

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38 h. ago Cambodia and Thailand tell China’s Wang Yi they’re willing to cease fire

Cambodia and Thailand have expressed willingness to de-escalate and cease fire following recent border clashes, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, also the country’s deputy prime minister, and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow made the comments in separate phone conversations with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday, according to the ministry. The Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers briefed Wang about the latest...

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47 h. ago US forces strike another alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 4

The US military said on Wednesday that it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on the same day the US House rejected efforts to limit President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels. US Southern Command stated on social media that the vessel was operated by narco-terrorists along a known trafficking route. The military didn’t provide evidence behind the allegations but posted a video of a boat moving through water...

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4 d. ago Thailand bombs Siem Reap province, home of ancient Angkor Wat temple, says Cambodia

Cambodia accused Thailand on Monday of striking deep inside its territory, bombing areas less than a two-hour drive from the country’s main tourist draw, the centuries-old Angkor temples, in a reignited border conflict. Dozens of people were killed in five days of fighting in July before a truce was brokered and then broken within months, part of a long-standing conflict rooted in the colonial-era demarcation of the countries’ 800km (500 miles) frontier. Renewed fighting between the Southeast...

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7 d. ago Thailand’s PM says no ceasefire with Cambodia yet after Trump call

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed on Friday that there was no ceasefire yet with Cambodia and said he had spoken by telephone with US President Donald Trump and told him Bangkok was not the aggressor in the conflict with its neighbour. Anutin said Trump told him he wanted the two countries to return to a ceasefire first agreed on in July. He added that the US president had not indicated that trade tariffs would be used as part of his efforts to end the fighting. Anutin’s remarks...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump says Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to cease all shooting

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed “to cease all shooting” effective on Friday, US President Donald Trump said after he held a call with the countries’ leaders. “Both Countries are ready for PEACE and continued Trade with the United States of America,” Trump wrote on social media. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said earlier on Friday that he had spoken by telephone with Trump, though he noted at the time that a ceasefire had not yet been confirmed. Anutin said he told Trump that Bangkok...

Politics

7 d. ago Cambodia reports Thai bombing even as Trump says both have agreed to cease fighting

Cambodia said on Saturday that Thailand continued dropping bombs in its territory hours after US President Donald Trump said the neighbours had agreed to stop fighting. “On December 13, the Thai military used two F-16 fighter jets to drop seven bombs” on a number of targets, the Cambodian defense ministry said in a social media post. “Thai military aircraft have not stopped bombing yet,” it said. Trump said on Friday he had spoken by phone with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, who both...

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7 d. ago Trump says Thailand, Cambodia have agreed to ceasefire but fighting continues

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Thai and Cambodian leaders had agreed to renew a truce after days of deadly clashes, even as Thai and Cambodian officials suggested there was still work to do to get the ceasefire that the US administration had helped broker earlier this year back on track. Trump announced the agreement to restart the ceasefire in a social media posting following calls with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. “They have agreed...

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7 d. ago Thailand, Cambodia both report attacks day after Trump’s claim of renewed ceasefire

Bangkok said Cambodian forces killed four Thai soldiers on Saturday, after the prime minister denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce was agreed to end days of deadly fighting. Cambodia and Thailand both reported attacks on Saturday, including on civilian areas, the day after Trump said that the two nations had agreed to renew a truce. Violence between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which stems from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800 km (500...

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7 d. ago Thailand, Cambodia both report attacks after Trump’s claim of renewed ceasefire

Bangkok said Cambodian forces killed four Thai soldiers on Saturday, after the prime minister denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce was agreed to end days of deadly fighting. Cambodia and Thailand both reported attacks on Saturday, including on civilian areas, the day after Trump said that the two nations had agreed to renew a truce. Violence between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which stems from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800 km (500...

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7 d. ago Cambodia suspends all border crossings with Thailand amid more deadly clashes

Cambodia suspended all of its border crossings with Thailand on Saturday, as the two countries remained locked in a deadly military conflict. “The Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to fully suspend all entry and exit movements at all Cambodia-Thailand border crossings, effective immediately and until further notice,” Cambodia’s interior ministry said in a statement. A spokesman justified the move with the protection of the country. Fighting between the two nations along their shared...

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9 d. ago South Korea vows ‘stern response’ as Japan renews claim to disputed Liancourt Rocks

South Korea has rejected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s renewed claim to disputed islets in the East Sea, setting off the latest round of diplomatic friction over one of the region’s most enduring territorial disputes. A senior official at the presidential office in Seoul said on Tuesday there was no ambiguity about who controlled the rocky outcrops – known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan – describing them as “an integral part of Korean territory historically,...

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9 d. ago Cambodia quits SEA Games in Thailand amid deadly border clashes

In an unprecedented move, Cambodia has withdrawn its entire delegation from the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, citing safety concerns amid renewed border clashes between the two neighbours. The Cambodian team had attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games in Bangkok on Tuesday, but the decision to pull out came a day later amid deadly fighting along the frontier. The Games, which run until December 20, are being held in Bangkok and the Thai provinces of Chonburi and Songkhla. At...

Events

9 d. ago Trump to call Thailand, Cambodia leaders and ‘stop war’ along disputed border

President Donald Trump said he plans to reach out to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia as more than half a million people flee a revived border clash, one of eight conflicts the US leader says he has ended with tariff threats. Fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which has killed at least 11 people, erupted over the weekend along their 800km frontier, with both sides exchanging artillery fire and Thailand using F-16 fighter jets after accusing Cambodia of firing rockets into...

Politics

1 week ago Singaporean Chinese ‘least attractive’, Philippines cyclones: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Thailand launches air strikes on Cambodia after soldier killed Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military positions on Monday after a Thai soldier was killed, pushing a shaky US-brokered truce to the brink of collapse as it vowed to cripple its neighbour’s...

Politics

1 week ago How Hong Kong can distinguish itself as a climate finance hub

For decades, New York and London have defined the flow of global capital. But while markets still chase short-term returns in US equities, the next great wave of productive investment is taking shape in East Asia, led by China’s financing, manufacturing and export of the clean technologies that are remaking the global economy. That contrast has only widened. As the United States retreats from climate leadership, China has doubled down. A day after US President Donald Trump called climate change...

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2 w. ago Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

During his Southeast Asia trip in October, US President Donald Trump sealed deals with Malaysia and Thailand on the same day – both aimed at securing and diversifying America’s supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths. Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to step up cooperation on building and expanding critical minerals supply chains, according to a White House statement. They also agreed to strengthen the security of critical minerals and rare earths supplies in...

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2 w. ago Admiral denies ‘kill them all’ order in boat attack but video alarms lawmakers

A Navy admiral commanding the US military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers on Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinises the campaign that killed two people. Admiral Frank Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the Capitol as lawmakers conduct an investigation after a report that he ordered the follow-on attack that...

Events

2 w. ago Thailand, Cambodia clash at UN mine ban talks as ‘fragile’ border truce teeters

Thailand and Cambodia have brought their renewed border row to a meeting of the United Nations’ mine ban treaty in Geneva in a race to gain international support as their ties continue to unravel. Bangkok and Phnom Penh have appealed to the international community on their divergent positions at the meeting of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which is running from Monday to Friday. On the sidelines of the convention, Cambodian Senior Minister Ly Thuch reportedly met International...

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