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The Standard
a day ago
- Business
- The Standard
Southeast Asia's budget airlines bet on travel demand, despite competition woes
An airplane of VietJet Airline is seen at Noi Bai International Airport, in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo
The Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Thailand and Cambodia seek to ease simmering border tensions
FILE PHOTO: A royalist activist holds a Thai flag as he protests in front of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, following a recent clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border on May 28, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH (Reuters) -Thai and Cambodian officials met on Saturday to try to ease tensions amid fears of military clashes after a long-running territorial dispute reignited, leading both countries to mobilise troops on the border. The two neighbours share an 820-km (510-mile) land border, parts of which are undemarcated and include ancient temples that both sides have contested for decades. The latest standoff followed a brief skirmish on May 28 that left aCambodian soldier dead. "The Thai government hopes to use the platform to resolve the situation peacefully," Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted about the meeting on her Facebook page on Friday. The row comes at achallenging time for Thailand's government, which is losing popularity in prolonged struggle to spur economic growth. Paetongtarn's administration is under pressure to take a tougher stand on Cambodia, accompanied by initially strong rhetoric from the Thai military. Despite both countries pledging dialogue to handle the issue and to calm nationalistfervour, Bangkok has threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to its neighbour. Phnom Penh announced it would cease buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce. It has also ordered local television stations not to screen Thai films. RESOLUTION UNLIKELY A resolution this weekend at the Joint Boundary Commission meeting in Phnom Penh is not expected, and it was unclear when the outcome would be announced. Cambodia is determined to file a case at the International Court of Justice to determine jurisdiction over four disputed areas, while Thailand insists on a bilateral solution. "Cambodia wants to settle the disputes at the ICJ, something that Thailand won't accept," said Dulyapak Preecharush, a Southeast Asian studies expert at Thammasat University in Bangkok. "So there's not much left to discuss at JBC apart from maintaining an atmosphere for further dialogue." Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Friday his country would not discuss the four contested areas at the boundary commission, adding the government would send an official letter to the ICJ on Sunday on its plan to file the case. Influential former strongman premier Hun Sen, Hun Manet's father, has criticised Thailand's military for restricting border crossings and has accused generals and Thai nationalists of fanning the tensions. "Only extremist groups and some military factions are behind these issues with Cambodia because, as usual, the Thai government is unable to control its military the way our country can," he said late on Thursday. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok and Chantha Lach in Phnom Penh; Editing by Martin Petty and William Mallard)
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Thailand and Cambodia seek to ease simmering border tensions
FILE PHOTO: A royalist activist holds a Thai flag as he protests in front of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, following a recent clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border on May 28, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH - Thai and Cambodian officials met on Saturday to try to ease tensions amid fears of military clashes after a long-running territorial dispute reignited, leading both countries to mobilise troops on the border. The two neighbours share an 820-km (510-mile) land border, parts of which are undemarcated and include ancient temples that both sides have contested for decades. The latest standoff followed a brief skirmish on May 28 that left a Cambodian soldier dead. "The Thai government hopes to use the platform to resolve the situation peacefully," Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted about the meeting on her Facebook page on Friday. The row comes at a challenging time for Thailand's government, which is losing popularity in prolonged struggle to spur economic growth. Paetongtarn's administration is under pressure to take a tougher stand on Cambodia, accompanied by initially strong rhetoric from the Thai military. Despite both countries pledging dialogue to handle the issue and to calm nationalist fervour, Bangkok has threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to its neighbour. Phnom Penh announced it would cease buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce. It has also ordered local television stations not to screen Thai films. RESOLUTION UNLIKELY A resolution this weekend at the Joint Boundary Commission meeting in Phnom Penh is not expected, and it was unclear when the outcome would be announced. Cambodia is determined to file a case at the International Court of Justice to determine jurisdiction over four disputed areas, while Thailand insists on a bilateral solution. "Cambodia wants to settle the disputes at the ICJ, something that Thailand won't accept," said Dulyapak Preecharush, a Southeast Asian studies expert at Thammasat University in Bangkok. "So there's not much left to discuss at JBC apart from maintaining an atmosphere for further dialogue." Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Friday his country would not discuss the four contested areas at the boundary commission, adding the government would send an official letter to the ICJ on Sunday on its plan to file the case. Influential former strongman premier Hun Sen, Hun Manet's father, has criticised Thailand's military for restricting border crossings and has accused generals and Thai nationalists of fanning the tensions. "Only extremist groups and some military factions are behind these issues with Cambodia because, as usual, the Thai government is unable to control its military the way our country can," he said late on Thursday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Thailand cuts border crossing hours with Cambodia over security
FILE PHOTO: A royalist activist holds a Thai flag as he protests in front of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, following a recent clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border on May 28, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo BANGKOK - Thailand shortened operating hours at 10 border crossings with Cambodia, citing security concerns, as tensions between the two countries simmered after a deadly clash last month. A day earlier, both the Southeast Asian countries reinforced their military presence along disputed border areas, Thailand's defence minister said. The two governments have exchanged statements, saying they were committed to finding a peaceful resolution after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a clash on May 28 in an undemarcated border area. Checkpoints, including the busiest in Thailand's eastern province of Sa Kaeo, halved operating hours to 8 a.m. (0100 GMT) to 4 p.m. local time, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., previously, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told reporters on Sunday. Thailand operates 17 official border crossings with Cambodia, spanning seven provinces along their shared 817-km (508 miles) frontier, government data shows. "These are no immediate closure orders at border checkpoints. Rather, they are gradual and appropriate to the circumstances in specific areas," he said, adding the situation along the border remained calm. Residents near the Aranyaprathet-Poipet crossing in Sa Kaeo said the atmosphere was calm. "It surprised people a bit, but shops stayed open and most locals crossed back normally," said a staff member at Manue Home Stay, who gave his name only as Rong. Cambodia's Foreign Ministry reiterated a request to bring the border disputes to the International Court of Justice in a letter to Thai officials on June 6. "Given the complexity, historical nature, and sensitivity of these disputes, it is increasingly evident that bilateral dialogue alone may no longer suffice to bring about a comprehensive and lasting solution," Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said it the note, shared with reporters on Sunday. "A decision rendered by the ICJ, grounded in international law, would offer a fair, impartial, and durable resolution," he said. The Thai government has said it does not recognise the court's jurisdiction and proposed that all boundary-related issues be resolved through bilateral negotiations, with talks scheduled for June 14. Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at undemarcated points along their shared border, which was mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony. Tension escalated in 2008 over an 11th-century Hindu temple, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a week-long exchange of artillery in 2011. Both governments have enjoyed warm ties, from a close friendship between former leaders, Thaksin Shinawatra from Thailand and Cambodia's Hun Sen. Thaksin's daughter and Hun Sen's son are the incumbent prime ministers of their countries. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Thailand cuts border crossing hours with Cambodia over security
FILE PHOTO: A royalist activist holds a Thai flag as he protests in front of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, following a recent clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border on May 28, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand shortened operating hours at 10 border crossings with Cambodia, citing security concerns, as tensions between the two countries simmered after a deadly clash last month. A day earlier, both the Southeast Asian countries reinforced their military presence along disputed border areas, Thailand's defence minister said. The two governments have exchanged statements, saying they were committed to finding a peaceful resolution after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a clash on May 28 in an undemarcated border area. Checkpoints, including the busiest in Thailand's eastern province of Sa Kaeo, halved operating hours to 8 a.m. (0100 GMT) to 4 p.m. local time, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., previously, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told reporters on Sunday. Thailand operates 17 official border crossings with Cambodia, spanning seven provinces along their shared 817-km (508 miles) frontier, government data shows. "These are no immediate closure orders at border checkpoints. Rather, they are gradual and appropriate to the circumstances in specific areas," he said, adding the situation along the border remained calm. Residents near the Aranyaprathet-Poipet crossing in Sa Kaeo said the atmosphere was calm. "It surprised people a bit, but shops stayed open and most locals crossed back normally," said a staff member at Manue Home Stay, who gave his name only as Rong. Cambodia's Foreign Ministry reiterated a request to bring the border disputes to the International Court of Justice in a letter to Thai officials on June 6. "Given the complexity, historical nature, and sensitivity of these disputes, it is increasingly evident that bilateral dialogue alone may no longer suffice to bring about a comprehensive and lasting solution," Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said it the note, shared with reporters on Sunday. "A decision rendered by the ICJ, grounded in international law, would offer a fair, impartial, and durable resolution," he said. The Thai government has said it does not recognise the court's jurisdiction and proposed that all boundary-related issues be resolved through bilateral negotiations, with talks scheduled for June 14. Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at undemarcated points along their shared border, which was mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony. Tension escalated in 2008 over an 11th-century Hindu temple, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a week-long exchange of artillery in 2011. Both governments have enjoyed warm ties, from a close friendship between former leaders, Thaksin Shinawatra from Thailand and Cambodia's Hun Sen. Thaksin's daughter and Hun Sen's son are the incumbent prime ministers of their countries. (Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panu Wongcha-um, Editing by Barbara Lewis)
