Rubio says U.S. officials are in Malaysia to help in Cambodia-Thailand talks
President Donald Trump and Mr. Rubio were engaged with their counterparts for each country and were monitoring the situation very closely, Mr. Rubio said in a statement released by the State Department late on Sunday (July 27, 2025) in the U.S. and early Monday in Asia.
"We want this conflict to end as soon as possible," he said. "State Department officials are on the ground in Malaysia to assist these peace efforts."
Why is it important
The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia were scheduled to attend mediation talks over their deadly border conflict in Malaysia on Monday (July 28, 2025), the Thai government said, as both sides accused each other of launching fresh artillery strikes across contested areas.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the late-May killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief border skirmish. Border troops on both sides were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.
Hostilities resumed on Thursday (July 24, 2025) and, within just four days, escalated into the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors in more than a decade.
The death toll has risen above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia, while authorities report that more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas.
Mr. Trump said on Sunday (July 27, 2025) he believed both Thailand and Cambodia wanted to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
US visa crackdown: New move could bring in $15,000 bonds for tourist, B1, B2 visas
As the Donald Trump-led administration continues its crackdown on visa and immigration, a new pilot program from the US State Department could bring in bonds up to $15,000 for certain tourist and business visas. Under this, immigrants applying for tourist or business B1, B2 visas from countries with a high visa overstay rates, may be subject to a pilot program.(File Photo / REUTERS) As per the notice issued by the Department of State, a 12-month long visa bond pilot program is set to begin across the United States. Under this, immigrants applying for tourist or business B1, B2 visas from countries with high visa overstay rates, may be subject to a pilot program. "Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers," reads the official notice in the federal register. Countries which will be subject to these bonds will be announced 'no fewer than 15 days' before the pilot program takes effect, which is, 15 days after the regulations are published in the Federal Register. The program will come into effect from August 20 onwards and will last for at least a year. This move from the State Department comes after the initiative as first revealed during the last months of the first Trump administration. During his first term as POTUS, Trump had floated the idea of using bonds as a "diplomatic tool" to ensure visitors leave the US on time and do not overstay their visa. This pilot program, however, as per the State Department, was not implemented due to the restrictions on travel imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 'In light of the worldwide reduction in global travel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department did not implement the pilot in 2020 and consequently it did not provide any data on the feasibility for full implementation,' reads the official handout. Trump admin visa crackdown continues Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced a travel ban for certain countries due to national security concerns, high via overstay rates and insufficient cooperation with US law enforcement. The ban fully restricted entry from Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, which were identified as 'very high risk' due to inadequate screening, terrorism ties, or lack of cooperation with US immigration enforcement. Partial restrictions were imposed on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, limiting immigrant and nonimmigrant visas (B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, J) due to high overstay rates or insufficient law enforcement collaboration.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Thai, Cambodian officials meet in Malaysia to finalise ceasefire terms
Thai and Cambodian officials met in Malaysia on Monday for the first round of cross-border committee talks since a tense ceasefire was brokered last week after five days of deadly armed border clashes that killed dozens and displaced over 260,000 people. The four-day General Border Committee meetings were initially due to be hosted by Cambodia, but both sides later agreed to a neutral venue in Malaysia, the annual chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has mediated the halt in hostilities last month. The July 28 ceasefire followed economic pressure from President Donald Trump, who had warned the two warring nations that the US would not conclude trade deals with them if the fighting persisted. Washington lowered tariffs on goods from the two countries from 36 per cent to 19 per cent on Aug 1 following the truce. Monday's talks focused on ironing out details to avoid further clashes. Discussions of the decades-long competing territorial claims over the pockets of land near the shared border are not on the agenda. Thailand and Cambodia have been feuding neighbours for centuries, since both were mighty empires. In modern times, a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice awarding Cambodia the land on which the ancient Preah Vihear temple stands marked a new low point in relations, and other border territory remained claimed by both countries. Fighting erupted in 2011 at Preah Vihaer, after which the International Court of Justice in 2013 reaffirmed its earlier ruling, rankling Thailand. Relations deteriorated again sharply in May this year, when a Cambodian soldier was shot dead in a brief fracas in one of the disputed border zones, setting off diplomatic and trade sanctions, one against the other. Soon after two incidents last month in which Thai soldiers were wounded by land mines in disputed territory, for which Thailand blamed Cambodia, the two sides downgraded diplomatic relations and fighting broke out, each side blaming the other for starting the armed clashes. Thai Deputy Defence Minister Gen Natthaphon Nakpanit is leading a delegation that includes representatives of all branches of the military, in addition to the police force and the ministries of foreign affairs, interior and defence, as well as the National Security Council. Thai military spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri in Bangkok said the main session of the General Border Committee on Thursday would include observers from Malaysia, the United States and China. Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Seiha is leading Cambodia's delegation, accompanied by armed forces commander Gen Vong Pisen. Despite the truce, tensions have persisted as both countries organised tours of the former battle areas for foreign diplomats and other observers to highlight damage allegedly caused by the other side. The two countries also continue to accuse each other of having violated international humanitarian laws with attacks on civilians and the use of illegal weapons. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News18
5 hours ago
- News18
Cambodian, Thai officials meet in Malaysia to iron out ceasefire details
Kuala Lumpur, Aug 4 (AP) Thai and Cambodian officials met in Malaysia on Monday for the first round of cross-border committee talks since a tense ceasefire was brokered last week after five days of deadly armed border clashes that killed dozens and displaced over 260,000 people. The four-day General Border Committee meetings were initially due to be hosted by Cambodia, but both sides later agreed to a neutral venue in Malaysia, the annual chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has mediated the halt in hostilities last month. The July 28 ceasefire followed economic pressure from President Donald Trump, who had warned the two warring nations that the US would not conclude trade deals with them if the fighting persisted. Washington lowered tariffs on goods from the two countries from 36 per cent to 19 per cent on Aug 1 following the truce. Monday's talks focused on ironing out details to avoid further clashes. Discussions of the decades-long competing territorial claims over the pockets of land near the shared border are not on the agenda. Thailand and Cambodia have been feuding neighbours for centuries, since both were mighty empires. In modern times, a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice awarding Cambodia the land on which the ancient Preah Vihear temple stands marked a new low point in relations, and other border territory remained claimed by both countries. Fighting erupted in 2011 at Preah Vihaer, after which the International Court of Justice in 2013 reaffirmed its earlier ruling, rankling Thailand. Relations deteriorated again sharply in May this year, when a Cambodian soldier was shot dead in a brief fracas in one of the disputed border zones, setting off diplomatic and trade sanctions, one against the other. Soon after two incidents last month in which Thai soldiers were wounded by land mines in disputed territory, for which Thailand blamed Cambodia, the two sides downgraded diplomatic relations and fighting broke out, each side blaming the other for starting the armed clashes. Thai Deputy Defence Minister Gen Natthaphon Nakpanit is leading a delegation that includes representatives of all branches of the military, in addition to the police force and the ministries of foreign affairs, interior and defence, as well as the National Security Council. Thai military spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri in Bangkok said the main session of the General Border Committee on Thursday would include observers from Malaysia, the United States and China. Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Seiha is leading Cambodia's delegation, accompanied by armed forces commander Gen Vong Pisen. Despite the truce, tensions have persisted as both countries organised tours of the former battle areas for foreign diplomats and other observers to highlight damage allegedly caused by the other side. The two countries also continue to accuse each other of having violated international humanitarian laws with attacks on civilians and the use of illegal weapons. (AP) RD RD view comments First Published: August 04, 2025, 17:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
