Cambodia to implement military conscription in 2026
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's military will begin conscripting civilians next year, Prime Minister Hun Manet said Monday (July 14), citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law.
Cambodia's parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced.
Relations with neighbouring Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier.
"This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and set our targets to reform our military," Hun Manet said.
"From 2026, the military conscription law will be implemented," he told a ceremony at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Centre in central Kampong Chhnang province.
Hun Manet said the service period would be extended from the 18 months outlined in the legislation passed two decades ago to 24 months, and pledged to "look at increasing" Cambodia's defence budget.
"Our national defence, the building of our military, is not to invade anybody's territory but it is to protect our territory," he added.
The Cambodian soldier was killed by Thai troops in a firefight in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet.
The incident soured relations between Phnom Penh and Bangkok - causing the closure of border crossings as Cambodia banned fuel and gas imports from Thailand.
It also caused a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct during the row.
A diplomatic call between Paeotongtarn and Hun Manet's father, former leader Hun Sen, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation.
Neighbouring Thailand already has military conscription for young and able-bodied men, who enter a lottery to determine whether they have to serve. - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
French first lady appeals in gender rumours case: lawyer
PARIS: France's first lady has taken her case against two women over claims she used to be man to the highest appeals court after a lower court let them off, her lawyer said Monday. On Thursday, the Paris appeals court overturned earlier convictions against the two women for spreading false claims -- that went viral online -- that Brigitte Macron, 72, used to be a man. Disinformation on Macron's gender has circulated on social media for years. Her 24-year age difference with President Emmanuel Macron has also attracted much comment. Brigitte Macron filed a libel complaint against the two women after they posted a YouTube video in December 2021, alleging she had once been a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux -- who is actually Brigitte Macron's brother. In the video, defendant Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium, interviewed Natacha Rey, a self-described independent journalist, for four hours on her YouTube channel. Rey spoke about the 'state lie' and 'scam' she claimed to have uncovered that Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender to become Brigitte, and then married the future president. The claim went viral, including among conspiracy theorists in the United States. A lower court in September last year had ordered the two women to pay 8,000 euros ($9,400) in damages to Brigitte Macron, and 5,000 euros to her brother. Brigitte Macron's lawyer Jean Ennochi told AFP Sunday that her brother, too, was taking his case against the dismissal of the charges to the highest appeals court, the Court de Cassation. – AFP
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Kremlin says weapons and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine from U.S. are continuing
FILE PHOTO: Servicemen from the mobile air defence unit of the 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannon towards a Russian drone during an overnight shift, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv Region, Ukraine June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova/File Photo MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Kremlin said on Monday that the big picture of U.S. President Donald Trump remarks about supplying Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine was that U.S. arms and ammunition deliveries to Kyiv have continued and are still continuing. Trump did not say how many Patriots he plans to send to Ukraine, but he said the United States would be reimbursed for their cost by the European Union. "Now it seems that these supplies will be paid for by Europe, some will be paid for, some will not," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Trump's words. "The fact remains that the supply of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment from the United States continued and continues to Ukraine." Trump is expected to announce a new plan to arm Ukraine with offensive weapons in a sharp departure from his earlier stance, Axios reported on Sunday, citing two sources familiar with the matter. Peskov said that Kyiv was obviously in no hurry on the third round of peace talks, adding that Russia was ready for them and awaiting clarity on the timing from Ukraine. (Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Crypto bills set to advance this week take industry closer to mainstream
(Reuters) -The crypto industry will take a step closer to going mainstream this week as a series of industry-friendly bills progress through Congress, paving the way for digital assets to potentially be further integrated into traditional finance. The House of Representatives is set to pass a series of crypto-related bills in a week which the Republican majority has dubbed "crypto week." The most notable is a bill that would establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins and is likely to advance to President Donald Trump's desk. That bill -- and another the House is considering that would define when a crypto token is a commodity -- is a huge win for the crypto industry, which has been pushing for federal legislation for years and poured money into last year's elections in order to promote pro-crypto candidates. "Historically, when lawmakers advance industry-backed frameworks, institutional sentiment strengthens. We expect capital that was previously sidelined due to regulatory uncertainty to re-enter," said Jag Kooner, head of derivatives at crypto exchange Bitfinex. "Crypto week" also comes as bitcoin has scaled record highs in recent days as investors dive back into risk assets on the back of tariff-related news, as well as expectations that legislation could potentially unlock capital in the crypto space. The big ticket item the House is set to vote on this week is a bill that would create a set of federal requirements for stablecoins. Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a constant value, usually a 1:1 dollar peg, are commonly used by crypto traders to move funds between tokens. Their use has grown rapidly in recent years, and proponents say they could be used to send payments instantly. The bill, dubbed the GENIUS Act, received bipartisan support in the Senate, with several Democrats joining most Republicans to back the proposed federal rules. It is expected to pass the House and would then head to Trump, who has said he will sign it into law. The bill would require tokens to be backed by liquid assets - such as U.S. dollars and short-term Treasury bills - and for issuers to disclose publicly the composition of their reserves on a monthly basis. Crypto proponents say those rules could legitimize stablecoins, making banks, retailers and consumers more comfortable with using them to transfer funds. Ahead of the bill's final passage, many companies across sectors are already considering how they might incorporate stablecoins into their business, said Julia Demidova, head of digital currencies product and strategy at FIS, a financial technology solutions provider. "I think everyone is realizing, look, this is moving forward and they need to have a stablecoin strategy," she said. "They need to think how banks themselves will position against some of these novel, new, emerging fintech-issued stablecoins as well." Still, many Democrats have argued that the GENIUS Act would not prevent big tech companies from issuing their own private stablecoins, and have called for stronger anti-money laundering protections and prohibitions on foreign stablecoin issuers. Many Democrats fiercely oppose both the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act, arguing that they have too few consumer protections and would be a giveaway to Trump's own personal crypto ventures by enabling softer-touch regulation. Democratic members are expected to offer several amendments to both the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act on the House floor next week, according to a source familiar with the matter, but it is unclear whether any of them will be considered. The House will also vote next week on a bill that would prohibit the U.S. from issuing a central bank digital currency, which Republicans say violate Americans' privacy. The bill has not been considered in the Senate and the Federal Reserve has not indicated a desire to develop a central bank digital currency. MARKET STRUCTURE The House this week is also expected to pass a bill that aims to develop a regulatory regime for cryptocurrencies and would expand the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's oversight of the digital asset industry and is backed by the industry. If signed into law, the bill would define when a cryptocurrency is a security or a commodity and clarify the Securities and Exchange Commission's jurisdiction over the sector, something crypto companies heavily disputed during the Biden administration. That could help crypto companies avoid the oversight of the SEC, which under the Biden administration sued a number of crypto exchanges for flouting its rules. Crypto companies have argued that most crypto tokens should be classified as commodities, rather than securities, which would enable platforms to more easily offer those tokens to their customers. That bill, called the CLARITY Act, has yet to be considered in the Senate, where it would need to pass before heading to Trump for final approval. Trump has sought to overhaul U.S. cryptocurrency policies after courting cash from the industry during his presidential campaign. The sector spent more than $119 million backing pro-crypto congressional candidates in last year's elections. Trump's crypto ventures include a meme coin called $TRUMP, launched in January, and a business called World Liberty Financial, a crypto company owned partly by the president. The White House has said there are no conflicts of interest and that Trump's assets are in a trust managed by his children. (Reporting by Hannah Lang in New York; Editing by Megan Davies and Daniel Wallis)
