Shots fired, landmine explosions as relations break down between Thailand and Cambodia
The latest incidents have inflamed tensions between the two Southeast Asian neighbors, with a long-running border dispute now threatening to escalate into a broader conflict, and relations collapsing to their lowest level in years.
On Thursday, Thailand's military accused Cambodian troops of firing at a Thai army base in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom Temple – which lies in disputed territory in the south of Thailand's Surin province and in Cambodia's northwest. It said Cambodia had deployed an unmanned drone in front of the temple before sending troops in with weapons.
'Six armed Cambodian soldiers, including those carrying RPGs, were seen approaching the barbed wire area in front of the Thai operational base,' the military said in the statement.
A Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson said their troops had acted in self-defense after an unprovoked incursion from Thai soldiers.
'Cambodian forces acted strictly within the bounds of self-defence, responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity,' Lieutenant General Maly Socheata said.
Thailand's Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Natthaphon Narkphanit told reporters Thursday that operations were 'currently ongoing,' citing preliminary reports from the border.
At least two Thai soldiers were injured on Thursday, Reuters reported, citing a Thai army official.
Two hospitals in Thailand's Surin province near the site of the clash have begun evacuating patients, according to Thailand's ministry of public health.
The armed clash comes a day after a second Thai solider in a week lost his leg to a landmine explosion at a different point along the disputed border.
Five Thai soldiers were injured in the explosion, with the incident prompting Thailand to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Cambodia – recalling its ambassador from Phnom Penh and expelling the Cambodian ambassador.
Thailand also closed parts of its northeastern border to locals and tourists.
In response, Cambodia announced it has downgraded relations with Thailand 'to the lowest level' and ordered all diplomatic staff to return home.
Tensions between the two neighbors had already soured in May, when a Cambodian solider was killed during a clash between Thai and Cambodian troops in which both sides opened fire in a contested border area of the Emerald Triangle, where Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet.
The dispute has since had major political consequences for Thailand and stoked nationalist fervour in both countries.
Thailand's former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from duties earlier this month and could face dismissal after the leak of a phone call she had with Cambodia's powerful former leader in which she appeared to criticize her own army's actions in the dispute.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
11 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Why tariff uncertainty hits small businesses especially hard
Imagine it's April 2025 and you're the owner of a small but fast-growing e-commerce business. Historically, you've sourced products from China, but the president just announced tariffs of 145% on these goods. Do you set up operations in Thailand—requiring new investment and a lot of work—or wait until there's more clarity on trade? What if waiting too long means you miss your chance to pull it off? This isn't a hypothetical—it's a real dilemma faced by a real business owner who spoke with one of us over coffee this past spring. And she's not alone. As of 2023, of those U.S. companies that import goods, more than 97% of them were small businesses. For these companies, tariff uncertainty isn't just frustrating—it's paralyzing. As a family business researcher and a former deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and entrepreneur, we hear from a lot of small-business owners grappling with these challenges. And what they tell us is that tariff uncertainty is stressing their time, resources, and attention. The data backs up our anecdotal experience: More than 70% of small-business owners say constant shifts in trade policy create a ' whiplash effect ' that makes it difficult to plan, a recent national survey showed. Unlike larger organizations with teams of analysts to inform their decision-making, small-business owners are often on their own. In an all-hands-on-deck operation, every hour spent focusing on trade policy news or filling out additional paperwork means precious time away from day-to-day, core operations. That means rapid trade policy shifts leave small businesses, especially, at a disadvantage. Planning for stability in an uncertain landscape Critics and supporters alike can agree: The Trump administration has taken an unpredictable approach to trade policy, promising and delaying new tariffs again and again. Consider its so-called 'reciprocal' tariffs. Back in April, Trump pledged a baseline 10% tariff on imports from nearly everywhere, with extra hikes on many countries. Not long afterward, the administration hit pause on its plans for 90 days. That period just ended, and it followed up with a new executive order on July 31 naming different tariff rates for about 70 countries. The one constant has been change. This approach has upended long-standing trade relationships in a matter of days or weeks. And regardless of the outcomes, the uncertainty itself is especially disruptive to small businesses. One recent survey of 4,000 small-business owners found that the biggest challenge of tariff policies is the sheer uncertainty they cause. This isn't just a problem for small-business owners themselves. These companies employ nearly half of working Americans and play an essential role in the U.S. economy. That may partly explain why Americans overwhelmingly support small businesses, viewing them as positive for society and a key path for achieving the American dream. If you're skeptical, just look at the growing number of MBA graduates who are turning down offers at big companies to buy and run small businesses. But this consensus doesn't always translate into policies that help small businesses thrive. In fact, because small businesses often operate on thinner margins and have less capacity to absorb disruptions, any policy shift is likely to be more difficult for them to weather than it would be for a larger firm with deeper pockets. The ongoing tariff saga is just the most recent example. Slow, steady policies help small-business owners Given these realities, we recommend that the final negotiated changes to trade policy be rolled out slowly. Although that wouldn't prevent businesses from facing supply chain disruptions, it would at least give them time to consider alternate suppliers or prepare in other ways. From the perspective of a small-business owner, having that space to plan can make a real difference. Similarly, if policymakers want to bring more manufacturing back to the U.S., tariffs alone can accomplish only so much. Small manufacturers need to hire people, and with unemployment at just over 4%, there's already a shortage of workers qualified for increasingly high-skilled manufacturing roles. Making reshoring a true long-term policy objective would require creating pathways for legal immigration and investing significantly in job training. And if the path toward reshoring is more about automation than labor, then preparing small-business owners for the changes ahead and helping them fund growth strategically will be crucial. Small businesses would benefit from more government-backed funding and training. The Small Business Administration is uniquely positioned to support small firms as they adjust their supply chains and manufacturing—it could offer affordable financing for imports and exports, restructure existing loans that small businesses have had to take on, and offer technical support and education on new regulations and paperwork. Unfortunately, the SBA has slashed 43% of its workforce and closed offices in major cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. We think this is a step in the wrong direction. Universities also have an important role to play in supporting small businesses. Research shows that teaching core management skills can improve key business outcomes, such as profitability and growth. We recommend that business and trade schools increase their focus on small firms and the unique challenges they face. Whether through executive programs for small-business owners or student consulting projects, universities have a significant opportunity to lean into supporting Main Street entrepreneurs. Thirty-five million small businesses are the engine of the U.S. economy. They are the job creators in cities and towns across this country. They are the heartbeat of American communities. As the nation undergoes rapid and profound policy shifts, we encourage leaders in government and academia to take action to ensure that Main Streets across America not only endure but thrive.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Thailand's Zero Tariff Vow to Trump Still Limits US Imports
(Bloomberg) -- Thailand's pledge to President Donald Trump of near-total market access for US goods includes key limits to protect some domestic industries, according to a government official, laying out the Southeast Asian nation's terms for a tariff deal with Washington. Mayor Asked to Explain $1.4 Billion of Wasted Johannesburg Funds All Hail the Humble Speed Hump PATH Train Service Resumes After Fire at Jersey City Station Istanbul Policies Stalled as City Leaders Remain in Jail What England's New National Cycling Network Needs to Get Rolling The restrictions — specifically on pork and corn — will be hammered out in final negotiations with the US, said Pongsarun Assawachaisophon, who was involved in the talks and serves as deputy secretary-general to the prime minister. The tariff is expected to shave off as much a 1.5 percentage point of Thailand's economic growth next year. The deal is designed to fulfill Trump's demand to erase Thailand's $45 billion trade surplus while still keeping trade open to Bangkok's biggest export market. The US president announced a 19% tariff on Thailand last week, down from an earlier threatened 36%, following several rounds of negotiations and offers from Thailand, including eliminating import levies on more than 90% of US goods. 'Among more than 10,000 US items that will get a 0% tariff, some will be subject to tariff staging, import quotas or other conditions,' Pongsarun said in an interview with Bloomberg News Monday. 'Thailand got a really good deal because we didn't act carelessly. We explained our reasons and didn't just stubbornly keep everything shut.' Trump has touted his tariff threats for pushing countries to buy more US goods and claimed, as in the case of Indonesia, that markets are 'completely open' to American goods. But many countries in Southeast Asia have sought carve-outs or protections for agricultural sectors, with farmers forming a key political constituency. Jakarta, for instance, wants to buffer its poultry and corn industries while Vietnam's seafood sector is seeking support. For US pork, Bangkok will gradually reduce tariffs and limit American imports to less than 1% of domestic consumption. It must also be free of the additive ractopamine, which is used to promote the development of lean muscle mass and banned in Thailand. The initial limitations are to allow the US to 'test the market' while giving Thai pork producers — notably Charoen Phokphand Foods Co. and Betagro Pcl — and smaller pig farmers time to adjust, he said. Pork market access has long been a contentious issue for the US, and the reason why Washington revoked some trade preferences for Bangkok in 2020. As for corn, Thailand will require local feed mills to absorb all home grown corn first, at set prices, before being granted quotas to import US supplies, said Pongsarun. The government will also allow US corn imports only during specific windows when there's no harvest in Thailand, to minimize impact on local output, he added. While the details haven't been finalized, the timing may align with US exports, with shipments usually rising around November to March, a slow period for Thai harvests. The Thai Feed Mill Association, which has been consulted on the matter, has said the country is able to buy as much $2.8 billion annually of US corn, as well as soybean meal and dried distillers' grains. 'Made in Thailand' A separate concern for Thailand is Trump's 40% additional tariff on so-called transshipped goods, a way for Washington to block Chinese manufacturers from evading higher US tariffs. About one-third of Thailand's current exports to the US would fall under this category, Pongsarun said, ranging from car tires to electrical appliances and toys that were made by Chinese factories in Thailand. Government regulations deem goods with at least 40% of local content to be 'Made in Thailand,' but Pongsarun said officials expect the US might require a much higher threshold, possibly up to 80%. Those details have yet to be unveiled by Washington. Since April, Thailand rewrote rules around issuance of certificates of origin with the help of the US Customs and Border Protection, and has ramped up inspection and factory visits for 65 types of goods, worth about $15 billion, that the US had flagged as being potentially mislabeled as Thai-made. Going forward, product certification will also only be granted by the Department of Foreign Trade, instead of the Federation of Thai Industries or the Thai Chamber of Commerce, a move that allows the government greater oversight. 'It's what we need to do anyway,' Pongsarun said. 'The US deal is a wake up call that nudges us to expedite the process to reform this system.' --With assistance from Megan Durisin. (Updates with detail on seasonal window for corn imports in ninth paragraph.) Russia's Secret War and the Plot to Kill a German CEO AI Flight Pricing Can Push Travelers to the Limit of Their Ability to Pay Government Steps Up Campaign Against Business School Diversity What Happens to AI Startups When Their Founders Jump Ship for Big Tech The GOP Is Choosing Pesticides Over the MAHA Moms ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Old blast videos falsely linked to Southeast Asia conflict
Five days of deadly fighting between neighbours Thailand and Cambodia unleashed a flood of misrepresented visuals including unrelated explosion clips. Two widely shared videos supposedly from the Southeast Asian conflict predate the bloody border clashes and have appeared in posts about strikes in Ukraine. "Cambodia shoots down Thai F-16 fighter jet," reads a Burmese-language Facebook post on July 24, 2025. It shares footage capturing the moment an aircraft loses altitude and crashes into the ground, with the impact resulting in a massive fireball. Similar posts were shared on YouTube. Another clip, showing several air strikes, surfaced on Facebook and X posts in Sri Lanka and India. "Thailand-Cambodia clash is intensifying. Cambodian army base to be attacked and demolished," says a Tamil-language post on July 24. Thailand and Cambodia agreed a truce starting July 29, following five days of intense clashes that left more than 40 people dead (archived link). The latest eruption of a long-standing dispute over contested border temples on their frontier also drove more than 300,000 from their homes. But the two clips circulating online predate the conflict. Ukraine news reports A reverse image and keyword search on Google found an uncropped version of the first video shared by Russia's Pravda newspaper on April 30, 2025 (archived link). "Strike of the Geranium UAV on a target in Kharkov," reads the headline, using another spelling for the northeast Ukraine city Kharkiv. Further keyword searches found the video in an Telegram channel named "voenacher", which also shared the location of the attack in another post dated April 26, 2025 (archived link). A chimney visible in the video -- located in a green patch next to a parking lot in Kharkiv -- can also be seen on Google Maps satellite imagery (archived link). A separate reverse video search found the second clip posted on Facebook June 6, 2025, more than a month before armed clashes erupted between Thailand and Cambodia (archived link). "This is Lutsk -- city where my wife was born," reads part of the post. Video news agency Newsflare distributed the footage with a caption that says in part, "On June 6, 2025, in Lutsk, Ukraine, a video captured a series of explosions caused by four missile strikes in the city's industrial zone" (archived link). AFP has debunked more misinformation related to Thailand-Cambodia border conflict here.
