Rumours of attack on Cambodia untrue, says Thai army
RTA spokesman Major General Winthai Suvaree refuted the claims, which he said originated from a social media post allegedly shared by former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, citing a statement attributed to Cambodia's Defence Ministry spokesperson.
Winthai said the post falsely alleged that the Thai army had ordered a nighttime evacuation of civilians and was preparing to launch an offensive against Cambodia.
He confirmed there was no truth to the allegations and stated unequivocally that no evacuation orders had been issued in Surin or any other area.
"The public is urged to rely on official information sources and not be misled by unverified posts or disinformation that could cause public panic," he said in a statement on Sunday.
He said that while the Royal Thai Army remains fully committed to the current ceasefire agreement, Thailand continues to maintain operational readiness to respond to any unforeseen developments.
Thai and Cambodian defence ministers are scheduled to hold the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Kuala Lumpur from Aug 4 to 7, following a ceasefire deal brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on July 28.
The two neighbouring countries have been in conflict over their 817km border, with disputes dating back to 1907.
The latest conflict began with a brief skirmish between Thai and Cambodian troops on May 28, which escalated into armed clashes on July 24.
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Countries with trade agreements in place, including Malaysia, will enjoy a more level playing field compared to those without such deals, although that group is shrinking over time,' she said. She added that sectors such as semiconductors and data centres may particularly benefit, especially if they can leverage their foreign involvement to foster stronger technological integration with the US economy. This means aligning and linking both countries' supply chains to enable knowledge and technology transfer back home, as outward foreign direct investment also plays a role here by allowing domestic firms to acquire capabilities abroad and upgrade their operations locally based on global best practices. Head of dealing at Moomoo Malaysia Ken Low concurs with Liew, remarking that Malaysia's 'significant investment' could positively impact its economy by enhancing technological capabilities, driving industrial upgrading, creating new employment opportunities and attracting foreign investment through improved global market perceptions. In addition, he said the reduction of Washington's tariffs on Malaysia partly validated the strategic reasoning behind such a sizeable investment. Nonetheless, he said although the immediate tariff reduction provided some short-term economic clarity and relief, the longer-term benefits for Malaysia will depend primarily on the effectiveness of technology transfer, domestic productivity enhancements, and export growth stemming from these agreements. Of particular interest, economist Geoffrey Williams notably believes that Malaysia could have been given a larger tariff reduction. He commented that the number of planes to be bought by MAG is smaller than other countries, and it is not clear if the purchase is a normal replacement of the fleet, substitution of Boeing in place of Airbus, or an actual new net investment. 'It is also clear that orders of Boeing planes around the world are rising so delivery will be delayed and the new orders may not appear until long after President Trump has ended his second term. The orders could then be cancelled. 'So it may be smoke and mirrors and this would explain in part why the tariff reduction was small,' said Williams. His sentiment was perhaps reflected by the performance of the FBMKLCI yesterday, which dropped 6.37 points to close at 1,526.98 points, as losers edged gainers 463 to 356. Head of equity sales at Rakuten Trade Vincent Lau added that investors in the local bourse could also be cautious over US job prospects, which reports said were 'weakening', as well as dips in regional bourses over the past week. 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Offering a hint as to his favoured sectors, he said several European and American companies have decided to move or expand their manufacturing facilities in the country. 'Equipment makers, chip designers, testers, construction companies, and power producers are benefiting from an inflow of foreign investment. 'In addition, Malaysia is well positioned to benefit from the rise in data centres amid increased demand for cloud and artificial intelligence services, as large tech giants are already investing heavily in the market,' said van der Linde.
