Thailand Returns Two Cambodian Troops Ahead Of Key Border Talks As Shaky Ceasefire Still Holds
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NDTV
7 hours ago
- NDTV
Protesters In Bangkok Demand Resignation Of Court-Suspended Prime Minister
BANGKOK: Protesters rallied Saturday in the Thai capital to demand the resignation of court-suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and in support of the armed forces following a violent border dispute with Cambodia that killed more than three dozen people and displaced over 260,000. Gathered at Bangkok's Victory Monument despite soaring temperatures, many sang patriotic songs and listened to speeches denouncing Paetongtarn and her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister, and voiced their backing of the country's army, which has always retained substantial power in the Southeast Asian country. Police said there were about 2,000 protesters by mid-afternoon, though more were expected to join as the temperature cooled. Some locals accuse Paetongtarn and her family of allowing the conflict - which stretches back decades with both sides claiming pockets of land near the shared border - to escalate due to their close ties with Cambodia's former prime minister, Hun Sen. A court suspended Paetongtarn last month after Hun Sen, still a major power in his own country, leaked a phone call in which she she called him "uncle" and appeared to denigrate a Thai general, angering many. The most recent clashes ended with an uneasy Malaysian-brokered ceasefire on July 29. "Ung Ing, you need to leave," said one well-known conservative columnist and protester, Jittakorn Bussaba, using Paetongtarn 's nickname. "Because there's blood on your hands. People have died because of you," he said from the stage to general applause. "Ung Ing has damaged the country. Everyone needs to help out," said 58-year-old Ammorn Khunthong. "Thaksin and his family should not run or command this country anymore." There were many familiar faces from a conservative, pro-royalist group once known as the Yellow Shirts, longtime foes of Paetongtarn's father, who was toppled in a military coup in 2006. Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon, entered politics by founding his own political party and buying the loyalty of local political bosses nationwide. He was often accused of bullying critics and not separating his business dealings from those of the government. Yellow Shirts rallies also helped oust the elected government of Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, in a 2014 coup. The army in Thailand plays a major role in politics and has staged 13 successful coups since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Indian Express
Protesters in Bangkok demand resignation of court-suspended prime minister following deadly conflict
Protesters rallied Saturday in the Thai capital to demand the resignation of court-suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and in support of the armed forces following a violent border dispute with Cambodia that killed more than three dozen people and displaced over 260,000. Gathered at Bangkok's Victory Monument despite soaring temperatures, many sang patriotic songs and listened to speeches denouncing Paetongtarn and her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister, and voiced their backing of the country's army, which has always retained substantial power in the Southeast Asian country. Police said there were about 2,000 protesters by mid-afternoon, though more were expected to join as the temperature cooled. Some locals accuse Paetongtarn and her family of allowing the conflict — which stretches back decades with both sides claiming pockets of land near the shared border — to escalate due to their close ties with Cambodia's former prime minister, Hun Sen. A court suspended Paetongtarn last month after Hun Sen, still a major power in his own country, leaked a phone call in which she she called him 'uncle' and appeared to denigrate a Thai general, angering many. The most recent clashes ended with an uneasy Malaysian-brokered ceasefire on July 29. 'Ung Ing, you need to leave,' said one well-known conservative columnist and protester, Jittakorn Bussaba, using Paetongtarn 's nickname. 'Because there's blood on your hands. People have died because of you,' he said from the stage to general applause.'?Ung Ing has damaged the country. Everyone needs to help out,' said 58-year-old Ammorn Khunthong. 'Thaksin and his family should not run or command this country anymore.' There were many familiar faces from a conservative, pro-royalist group once known as the Yellow Shirts, longtime foes of Paetongtarn's father, who was toppled in a military coup in 2006. Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon, entered politics by founding his own political party and buying the loyalty of local political bosses nationwide. He was often accused of bullying critics and not separating his business dealings from those of the government. Yellow Shirts rallies also helped oust the elected government of Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, in a 2014 coup. The army in Thailand plays a major role in politics and has staged 13 successful coups since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- The Hindu
Thailand returns two wounded soldiers to Cambodia but continues to hold 18 of their comrades
Cambodia on Friday (July 31, 2025) welcomed the return of two wounded soldiers who had been captured by the Thai Army after the two sides had already implemented a ceasefire to end five days of combat over competing territorial claims. Their repatriation comes amid accusations and bickering over whether either side had targeted civilians and breached the laws of war, and sharp nationalist feuding on social media. The rest of a 20-member group of Cambodian soldiers captured on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) in one of the disputed pockets of land over which the two sides were fighting remain in Thai hands and Cambodian officials are demanding their release. Nationalist agendas fuelled the border fight between Thailand and Cambodia The two countries have given differing accounts of the circumstances of the capture. Cambodian officials say their soldiers approached the Thai position with friendly intentions to offer post-fighting greetings, while Thai officials said the Cambodians appeared to have hostile intent and entered what Thailand considers its territory, so they were taken prisoner. Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata confirmed that the two wounded soldiers had been handed over at a border checkpoint between Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province and urged the Thai side to promptly repatriate the remaining personnel in accordance with 'international humanitarian law.' Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia as border clashes leave at least 15 dead Thailand says it has been following international legal procedures and was holding the remaining 18 soldiers until it could investigate their actions. A statement issued on Friday (July 31, 2025) by Thailand's 2nd Army Region identified the two repatriated Cambodian soldiers as a sergeant with a broken arm and a gash on his hip and a second lieutenant who appeared to be suffering from battle fatigue and needed care from his family. It said both men had taken an oath not to engage in further hostilities against Thailand. Neither man nor the others in Thai custody have been made available for interviews by neutral third parties. The Cambodian Human Rights Committee, which is a government agency, released a letter addressed to the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights claiming that the two soldiers had been tortured and denied medical care. The letter, which offered no evidence to back up its claims, demanded, among other measures, an 'impartial investigation by the United Nations or relevant international bodies' into its allegations. There were other peaceful activities on Friday (July 31, 2025) on both sides of the border as both countries staged tours of the former battle areas for foreign diplomats and other observers, highlighting damage allegedly caused by the other side. The two countries continue to accuse each other of having violated the laws of war with attacks on civilians and the illegal use of weapons. More than three dozen people, civilians and soldiers, were killed in the fighting, which, in addition to infantry battles, included artillery duels and the firing of truck-mounted rockets by Cambodia, to which Thailand responded with airstrikes. More than 2,60,000 people in total were displaced from their homes. Under the terms of the ceasefire, military representatives of both sides are supposed to meet next week to iron out details to avoid further clashes. However, the talks are not supposed to cover the competing territorial claims that are at the heart of decades-long tension between the two countries. Partisans of both sides are also waging a war of words online, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of also carrying out malicious hacking. Both countries' professional journalism societies have accused each other of spreading false information and other propaganda.
