Counsellor of Oman in Washington attends Iftar hosted by U.S. President
The event, held during the holy month of Ramadan, reflects the spirit of cultural exchange and mutual respect, fostering stronger ties between the two nations.
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Observer
5 hours ago
- Observer
Minimum periodic increment for Omani workers in pvt sector
The Minister of Labour has issued a ministerial decision setting the minimum periodic bonus (salary increment) and regulating its disbursement to Omanis working in the private sector. An Omani worker will be entitled to a periodic increment on January 1 of each year, provided that he has been employed in the establishment for at least 6 months, according to the result of his evaluation in the performance report (Ejada), and as a minimum, as follows: Four percent of the basic wage if the worker receives a very good evaluation. Two percent of the basic wage if the worker receives an acceptable evaluation. Five percent of the basic wage if the worker receives an excellent evaluation. Three percent of the basic wage if the worker receives a good evaluation. The worker is not entitled to a periodic increment if he receives a (poor performance report. Decision The Minister of Labor issued Ministerial Resolution 317/2025 on Sunday regarding setting the minimum periodic allowance and regulating its disbursement to Omanis working in the private sector. Based on the Labor Law issued by Royal Decree No. 53/2023, and Ministerial Resolution No. 541/2013 specifying the minimum periodic allowance for Omanis working in the private sector and the procedures and conditions for its disbursement, and based on what the public interest requires, it is decided. Article 2 Without prejudice to any better benefit granted to the worker, the Omani worker is entitled to a periodic bonus on the first of January of each year, provided that he has been appointed for at least (6) six months in the establishment, according to the result of his evaluation in the performance report and as a minimum as follows: - (5%) five percent of the basic salary if the worker receives an excellent evaluation. - (4%) four percent of the basic salary if the worker receives a very good evaluation. - (3%) three percent of the basic salary if the worker receives a good evaluation. - (2%) two percent of the basic wage if the worker receives an acceptable evaluation. The worker is not entitled to a periodic bonus if he receives a 'weak' performance report. In all cases, the worker has the right to file a grievance against the results of his evaluation in the performance report with the relevant administrative division in the Ministry. Article Three In applying the provisions of Article (50) of the Labor Law, the establishment in which the worker spent the longest period of one year is responsible for preparing a performance report on him, and the establishment to which he is transferred is obligated to pay the periodic bonus due to him. Article Four The employer may reduce the periodic increment if the establishment proves that there is an economic reason, provided that the committee stipulated in Article 45 of the Labor Law approves. Article 5 The employer may stop the periodic bonus in the following cases: 1 - If the worker is accused of committing a misdemeanor or felony within the workplace and is referred for investigation by the competent authorities, and in the event that a final judgment is issued acquitting him, the establishment shall be obligated to pay the periodic bonuses that were suspended, in accordance with the provisions of this decision. 2 - If the worker spends unpaid leave under the provisions of Articles (80, 83) of the Labor Law or is absent from work for a period exceeding (6) six months in the year in which the periodic bonus is calculated. Article 6 The periodic increment shall continue to be paid to the worker after the reason for the reduction or suspension has been removed, under the provisions of this decision. Article Seven An administrative fine of RO50 shall be imposed on every employer who violates the provisions of this decision, and the fine shall be multiplied by the number of workers involved in the violation. Article Eight Ministerial Resolution No. 541/2013 referred to herein shall be cancelled, as shall anything that contradicts this resolution or conflicts with its provisions. Article Nine This decision shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall take effect from the day following the date of its publication.
Observer
5 hours ago
- Observer
Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump's ceasefire call
SISAKET, Thailand/PHNOM PENH : Cambodia and Thailand each said the other had launched artillery attacks across contested border areas early on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said the leaders of both countries had agreed to work on a ceasefire. Cambodia said it fully endorsed Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire. Thailand said while it was grateful to the U.S. President, it could not begin talks while Cambodia was targeting its civilians, a claim that Phnom Penh has denied. "Our condition is that we do not want a third country but are thankful for his (Trump's) concern," Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters before heading off to visit border areas. "We've proposed a bilateral between our foreign ministers to conclude the conditions for a ceasefire and drawing back troops and long-range weapons." Cambodia said Thailand had started hostilities on Sunday morning and that Thai forces were mobilising along the border. Thailand said it had responded to attacks from Cambodia. "I made it clear to Honourable President Donald Trump that Cambodia agreed with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet posted on Facebook, noting he had also agreed to Malaysia's earlier ceasefire proposal. CITIZENS WANT PEACE Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia. More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in the two countries, authorities said. Cambodia's Defence Ministry said Thailand had shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points along the border. The ministry's spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at historic temple complexes. "For me, I think it is great if Thailand agreed to stop fighting so both countries can live with peace," a Phnom Penh university student Sreung Nita told Reuters. The Thai army said Cambodian forces had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, early on Sunday, and were mobilising long-range rocket launchers. The governor of Surin told Reuters artillery shells had been fired into the province. "The soldiers will continue to do their job at full steam - so Thais do not worry - until the government has reached a clear agreement that there is no danger for the people and to ensure we maintain the country's interests in order to bring the peace we want to see," Phumtham said. In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling throughout Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on. "If there is a ceasefire, things will be better," Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan told Reuters. "It's great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace." TRUMP SPEAKS TO BOTH LEADERS Trump said on Saturday that he had spoken with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia and they had agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire to end fighting that began on Thursday. Bangkok and Phnom Penh each say the other started the hostilities last week. "Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace," Trump wrote on social media, adding tariff negotiations with both countries were on hold until the fighting stopped. The countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and skirmishes over several years brought at least a dozen deaths. Cambodia said in June it had asked the world court to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.
Observer
15 hours ago
- Observer
Why are Thailand and Cambodia Fighting?
President Donald Trump said Saturday that Cambodia's prime minister and the acting prime minister of Thailand had agreed to meet immediately and quickly work out a ceasefire as he sought to end the conflict between the two Southeast Asian neighbors, which has entered a third day. Thai and Cambodian forces attacked each other in the Thai province of Trat on Saturday, creating a new front in the battle over their shared border, in the deadliest clashes between the two Southeast Asian nations in more than a decade. At least 34 people have died in the conflict, which began Thursday with an eruption of violence near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple claimed by both nations, after two months of tension. Thailand and Cambodia are each negotiating trade deals with the United States, but it was unclear if Trump's intervention would actually end the fighting. China has also offered to mediate talks. It is the largest trading partner for Thailand and Cambodia, and has increased its influence in the region as governments in Southeast Asia are becoming wary of the United States. The border tensions have contributed to a political crisis in Thailand: On July 1, a Thai court suspended the prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, because of comments she made about the dispute, which goes back decades. The conflict marks a split between Shinawatra's father and Cambodia's leader, whose decades-long relationship had been the glue holding the two neighbors together despite the intractable border dispute. What started this conflict? Each nation accused the other of firing first on Thursday. The Thai army said that Cambodia had fired rockets into civilian areas in four Thai provinces, prompting Thailand to send F-16 fighter jets to strike targets in Cambodia. Cambodian officials said that Thai soldiers had opened fire on Cambodian troops first, at Prasat Ta Muen Thom, a temple claimed by both nations. They said Cambodian forces returned fire some 15 minutes later. In Thailand, at least 13 civilians and seven soldiers have been killed. In Cambodia, there have been at least 13 deaths, including those of five soldiers. More than 131,000 people in Thailand have evacuated from areas along the border, while in Cambodia, 35,000 people have fled their homes. Who is working on a ceasefire? In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said he spoke by phone with Cambodia's leader, Hun Manet, and Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai. The president said that he told both leaders that it was inappropriate to 'get back to the 'Trading Table' with the United States 'until the fighting STOPS.' Thailand and Cambodia are both negotiating trade deals with the United States. 'They will hopefully get along for many years to come,' Trump wrote. In an earlier post, he said he was 'trying to simplify a complex situation!' It was unclear whether Trump's intervention would lead to a genuine breakthrough. Cambodia said Friday that it had agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Malaysia but accused Thailand of reneging on the deal. Thailand responded by saying that any ceasefire had to be based on 'appropriate, on the ground conditions,' and that Cambodia's continued attacks showed a lack of good faith. On Friday, representatives of Cambodia and Thailand spoke at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, with each side accusing the other of escalating the violence. On Thursday, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said that Thailand and Cambodia were China's 'friendly neighbors,' adding that Beijing had been working to facilitate talks. What are the origins of the border tensions? The ownership of Prasat Ta Muen Thom is disputed by the two countries. Hun Sen claimed in a social media post that a Thai military commander had 'started this war' by ordering the closure of the temple on Wednesday, and opening fire on Cambodian troops the next day. Thailand has accused Cambodia of starting the conflict. The temple is in the Surin province of Thailand, on the disputed border with Cambodia, and people there speak Khmer as well as Thai, highlighting the cultural overlap with Cambodia, where Khmer is the official language. The province is known for ruins from the Khmer Empire, which lasted from the ninth to the 15th century. One such ruin is Prasat Ta Muen Thom. Arguments about where the border should be and who owns the temples in the region have led to decades of disputes. In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Cambodia sovereignty over the Preah Vihear Temple, another temple about 95 miles away. In 2013, the court, the top judicial body of the United Nations, tried to clarify the 1962 decision. It said that Cambodia had sovereignty over the immediate area around that temple, but it left unresolved who controlled a larger disputed area. The two countries have had occasional military clashes and nationalist rivalries for hundreds of years. The border disputes can be traced to a 1907 map created during French colonial rule in Cambodia. The two countries interpret the map differently. Military fighting has broken out intermittently since 2008, but the last time that a major clash turned deadly was in 2011. Why was Thailand's prime minister suspended? In June, Paetongtarn spoke by phone to Hun Sen, Cambodia's de facto leader, to discuss the escalating border tensions. Hun Sen has had close ties to her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister of Thailand and the leader of a powerful political dynasty, as well as one of the country's richest men. Hun Sen posted a recording of their call, in which Paetongtarn seemed to disparage Thailand's powerful military and take a deferential tone. She called Hun Sen 'uncle' and told him that she would 'arrange' anything he wanted. In response, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bangkok to express their outrage. Although Paetongtarn apologized, she has faced pressure to resign. In early July, a Thai court suspended her. This article originally appeared in
