Cambodia-Thailand tensions rise as troops on alert, Thai goods threatened

Cambodia ordered its troops to stay on 'full alert' Friday in its ongoing border spat with Thailand, as it ordered television stations and cinemas to stop showing Thai dramas.
On the eve of a meeting between the two sides aimed at defusing tensions after deadly clashes last month, Cambodia shut

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Straits Times

38 minutes ago

• Straits Times

Inside the leaked phone call threatening to bring down Thailand's government

Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, accompanied by Lieutenant-General Boonsin Padklang, whom she had disparaged in the leaked phone call, visiting an army base near the Cambodian border on June 20. PHOTO: REUTERS - It was an undignified breach of diplomatic protocol and personal confidence between world leaders that arguably has no clear precedent – at least in terms of its power to embarrass, and potentially unseat, a sitting government. The damaging leak of her 17-minute phone conversation with Cambodian senate president Hun Sen has left Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra clinging to a crumbling ruling coalition, her position written off as untenable by most political analysts. Mr Hun Sen , Cambodia's former strongman leader, in recording the conversation and then disseminating the audio clip, likely had domestic political calculations at the front of his mind, analysts say. These include bolstering the position of his son and current prime minister Hun Manet and, amid rising nationalist sentiment, demonstrating that his country remained uncowed in its renewed military spat along the border it shares with its larger neighbour. But in tipping Ms Paetongtarn's Pheu Thai Party-led government into turmoil, unwittingly or otherwise, Mr Hun Sen's actions are likely to invite a more assertive posture from Thailand following the brief border skirmish on May 28 that saw one Cambodian soldier killed. 'The Pheu Thai government, if it does remain in power, is now boxed in when it comes to Cambodia: it can no longer afford to be seen as weak and deferential to Hun Sen and Hun Manet,' said Mr Ken Lohatepanont, a political analyst and doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan. 'I would expect that the military will now have greater latitude to pursue its desired course of action in the future,' he added. Dr Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University, said it was now tantamount to the Thai army being given 'a blank cheque' to manage the border dispute how it saw fit, after Ms Paetongtarn, the daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, had previously been seen by critics as being too soft on the issue. 'Thailand is now at risk of escalating the border dispute because of Paetongtarn's mistake,' he said. On June 20, Ms Paetongtarn travelled to an army base near the Cambodian border in a show of support for Thai troops, accompanied by the region's army commander, Lt-Gen Boonsin Padklang, whom she had disparaged in the leaked phone call with Mr Hun Sen. Her trip came as conservative pro-monarchist groups, including supporters of the 'yellow-shirt' movement that protested against Mr Thaksin when he was in office, said they planned to intensify demonstrations demanding Ms Paetongtarn's resignation. It was also made as the conservative United Thai Nation Party was reported by local media on June 20 as being poised to quit the government – which would tip the ruling coalition into a parliamentary minority – unless Ms Paetongtarn stepped down, after just 10 months as prime minister. The 38-year-old political novice assumed power in August 2024 at the head of an uneasy post-election coalition between her Pheu Thai Party and a clutch of pro-military parties which were part of the conservative establishment whose distrust and rivalry with Mr Thaksin's political movement had dominated Thailand's political landscape for much of the past two decades. It remains unclear how an initial excerpt of the leaked June 15 call first surfaced online and then was swiftly picked up by Cambodian and Thai media outlets. Mr Hun Sen denied leaking the audio, but was quick to confirm its veracity. He said in a social media post that the call with Ms Paetongtarn had been recorded 'to avoid any misunderstandings' and that he had shared the audio clip with about 80 Cambodian officials. He subsequently posted the full recording to his official Facebook page on June 18. In the call, Ms Paetongtarn is heard pleading with the former Cambodian leader to help resolve border tensions between the two South-east Asian nations that she said were proving damaging to her government. Addressing Mr Hun Sen as 'uncle', Ms Paetongtarn appeared to blame the Thai army for inflaming tensions and referred to them as 'the opposite side'. She urged Mr Hun Sen to ignore comments from Lt-Gen Boonsin, who she said merely wanted to 'appear cool'. Ms Paetongtarn initially said her words were merely part of a 'negotiation tactic' but on June 19 issued a public apology for her remarks and slammed Mr Hun Sen for recording the call without her knowledge and leaking it. 'In diplomatic protocol terms, leaking a phone call like this is obviously a breach of the privacy that you would expect between leaders,' said Ms Susannah Patton, the director of the South-east Asia Programme at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank. 'That being said, Paetongtarn was definitely naive not to foresee that it could be revealed in some way,' she noted. 'The deferential form of address to Hun Sen, the appearance of selling out her own army commander, and repeated calls on Cambodia to de-escalate which made her look weak – it's very damaging,' Ms Patton added. Mr Hun Sen's actions are likely to be especially galling to the Shinawatra clan, given the long and close association between the two political families. Mr Hun Sen was the first foreign leader to visit Mr Thaksin in February 2024, following the latter's return to Bangkok after a 15-year self-imposed exile. 'Hun Sen is answerable to Cambodian public pressure. He needed to take the Thai army to task, and in doing so, he has spun this gambit with Paetongtarn,' said Dr Thitinan. 'He's willing to burn that relationship (with the Shinawatras) to get what he wants for domestic consumption,' he added. As the army commander in charge of Thailand's border response with Cambodia, Lt-Gen Boonsin has cultivated a high profile with his bellicose remarks towards opposing troops. In an interview with local news outlet The Standard published prior to his meeting with Ms Paetongtarn on June 20, he urged the Prime Minister to be 'mindful' and to support the national interest in dealing with the border dispute. 'Any reconciliation is likely to only occur at the surface level,' Mr Lohatepanont said of the pair's meeting. 'The call's contents revealed very clearly that Pheu Thai does not trust the military, but having it revealed so publicly ironically ensures that they will now have to be deferential to the military,' he said. Philip Wen is regional correspondent at The Straits Times, covering South-east Asia from his base in Bangkok. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Squaremouth Reports on Global Airbnb Crackdown: What Travelers Need to Know

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Governments across Europe and Asia are cracking down on international rentals. Last month, Spain ordered Airbnb to delist 65,000 rentals. Earlier this year, Thailand issued a warning to foreigners buying apartments and renting them out that they are violating Thai law. Other popular countries, like Italy and Greece, have implemented their own similar measures. These new laws and regulations come on the brink of the busy summer travel season, when traveler anxiety is already skyrocketing. Squaremouth, the nation's largest travel insurance comparison service, reveals what you need to know before booking your trip this summer. How These Crackdowns May Impact your Trip The crackdowns across Spain, Italy, Thailand, Greece, and other regions are part of a larger push to address housing inequality and overtourism. Crackdowns like these can leave travelers in a bind and cost them money, especially if accommodations are suddenly canceled or become unavailable. This happened to a Squaremouth employee recently, who had her rental suddenly canceled at the last minute. "We had an Airbnb booked in Bangkok, but Thailand had just issued a ban on short-term rentals in apartments and condos because they say it disrupts the public," said Arielle Turriff, Product Development Manager at Squaremouth. "Our booking got canceled, and since a lot of our plans were based around that area, we had to find a hotel nearby last minute. It ended up costing us an extra $500." Does Travel Insurance Cover Airbnbs? Travel insurance can cover Airbnb stays and other vacation rentals as long as you have Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption coverage. However, these benefits only reimburse you if you cancel for a covered reason, like an illness or severe weather that prevents you from traveling. Most plans do not cover government restrictions. If you're staying in an Airbnb and want complete flexibility, opt for a policy with Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. CFAR is an upgrade that offers partial reimbursement for prepaid and non-refundable trip payments if you need to cancel your trip for a reason not otherwise covered by Trip Cancellation, such as a government crackdown on Airbnbs. CFAR is a popular benefit for many travelers, as it provides the most possible flexibility when it comes to canceling a trip. In fact, Squaremouth has seen a 34% increase in travelers purchasing CFAR compared to last summer. Squaremouth's Tips for Enjoying your Summer Vacation Rental Always purchase travel insurance as soon as you book your Airbnb to maximize your coverage window, especially for Trip Cancellation benefits. Heed local government notices and warnings when it comes to disruptions. For maximum flexibility and peace of mind, consider Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. About Squaremouth Squaremouth is a trusted name in the travel insurance industry offering comprehensive, transparent, and competitive coverage to travelers for 20 years through its digital platform. With the largest portfolio of travel insurance carriers and products in the U.S., Squaremouth has insured over 4 million clients. Media Contact Ned Tadic ntadic@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Squaremouth

India Today

2 hours ago

• India Today

Opinion: Former Bangladesh spy chief's China visit: What it means for Dhaka and Delhi

The former Bangladesh military intelligence chief's recent 12-day visit to China has raised alarm bells in New Delhi. Major-General (retired) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, who departed for China on June 6, returned to Dhaka on June 18. According to a Bangladeshi intelligence report this week, "His recent travel to China and return may warrant observation due to his past affiliations and the strategic sensitivity of the cases he was implicated in.' Sources also said that a senior national security official from the Yunus government is currently in China, having arrived there during Chowdhury's visit. advertisementRezzakul Haider Chowdhury, who has served as director-general of both the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence and the National Security Intelligence, was jailed during the Awami League regime for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of a huge consignment of weapons meant for rebel groups in Northeast India and Bangladesh through the Chittagong port in April 2004. He was also sentenced to death for the attempted assassination of then-opposition leader and later prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, in 2004, within three months of the Chittagong arms seizure. Several Awami League leaders and activists were killed in the grenade attack on a party rally in Dhaka, but Hasina miraculously escaped. An ISI asset? Chowdhury is seen in New Delhi as a 'high-grade asset' of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, who reportedly has close links to Chinese intelligence as well. Both countries have backed rebel groups in Northeast India since the 1950s. advertisementUnited Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) military wing chief Paresh Baruah was also convicted in the Chittagong arms haul case after Bangladesh police seized 10 truckloads of weapons, including 4,930 firearms (mostly assault rifles), 27,020 grenades, 840 rocket launchers, 2,000 grenade launching tubes, 300 rockets, 6392 magazines, and 11,40,520 bullets, when the consignment was being offloaded from two ships at a jetty in Bangladesh's port city of huge consignment of weapons, mostly manufactured by the Chinese ordnance behemoth Norinco Group, was loaded onto ships in the port of Beihai in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in March 2004. More weapons of US- and Israeli-make were added to the consignment and transferred to two Bangladeshi vessels in the Thai port of Ranong and brought to Chittagong, where it was seized on the night of April 1, 2004. The weapons were meant for ULFA and other rebel groups in Northeast India, as well as Islamist terror groups like the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. Chittagong arms haul case linkAfter the ouster of the Awami League government in August last year, the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus released those convicted of trying to smuggle in the largest illegal arms consignment. On January 16 this year, the Bangladesh High Court acquitted six people convicted in the Chittagong arms haul case, including Chowdhury and former state minister for home affairs, Lutfur Zaman Babar. The state did not challenge these acquittals. The high court also reduced the sentences of five others, including that of ULFA leader Paresh and Chowdhury were both very close to Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairperson Tarique Rahman, whose mother, Begum Khaleda Zia, was prime minister at the time of the massive arms seizure in Chittagong. Yunus recently met Tarique Rahman in London and expressed his satisfaction about the meeting regarding the future roadmap for those acquitted were the late Matiur Rahman Nizami, former industries minister and Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Mohsin Uddin Talukder, the former managing director of the state-run Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited, KM Enamul Haque, its former general manager, and Nurul Amin, former additional secretary in the industries individuals were initially sentenced in the arms smuggling case. The court abated the appeals of Brigadier General (retd.) Abdur Rahim, the former director general of National Security Intelligence, labour supplier Deen Muhammad, and Haji Sobhan, a trawler owner, because all of them are now dead. The sentences of five others were also reduced. advertisementBaruah's sentence reducedParesh Baruah's life imprisonment sentence was reduced to 14 years. The ULFA leader is reportedly holed up in a clandestine location on the China-Myanmar border. Additionally, the sentences of four other accused have been reduced to 10 years each. These are Akbar Hossain Khan, a former NSI field officer, Major (retd.) Liaquat Hossain, the former deputy director of the NSI, Wing Commander (retd.) Sahab Uddin Ahmed, and former NSI director Hafizur intelligence officials said in 2004 that the Chittagong police were not informed about the attempt to bring in such a huge quantity of weapons by rogue elements in the Bangladeshi 'deep state', who were backing Northeast Indian rebel groups and Islamist radicals in Bangladesh. So, when they were informed about the unloading of the weapons consignment by their sources at the Chittagong docks, they rushed in to effect the seizure. But the cases were cold-stored and only made headway after the Awami League came to power in 2009. In January 2014, the Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court and Special Tribunal-1 sentenced 14 individuals to death, including Babar, Nizami, and Baruah, in the attempted assassination case. In a separate case under the Arms Act, they also received life sentences for their involvement in the smuggling case. advertisementConcerns for India Indian security circles seem worried over these acquittals, and also the release of scores of known Islamist terror leaders like Jashimuddin Rahmani, the chief of the Ansarullah Bangla Team. "These elements are close to Pakistan's ISI and could well be now used to foment trouble in India's eastern states. After Operation Sindoor, the ISI and Pakistan Army could use their Bangladesh assets to strike with maximum deniability,' said a senior Indian intelligence official on condition of anonymity. "Islamabad would be less than bothered and may actually welcome the possible worsening of India-Bangladesh relations.'India has also not taken kindly to Yunus' recent reference to India's Northeast as a landlocked region dependent on sea access on Bangladesh, a situation that the Nobel laureate said presented a great opportunity for the Chinese economy. His comments were made during a visit to China. Yunus again suggested drawing Northeast India into a regional grouping involving Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, which drew a sharp riposte from Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.(Writer is a former BBC and Reuters correspondent and author who has worked in Bangladesh as a senior editor with Expressed in this opinion piece are those of the Author)