Set your expectations low and arrive early at this airport
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), the main gateway to the Philippines.
The flight
QF98 from Manila to Brisbane (BNE).
The arrival
My Qantas flight takes off at 2.45am. That might seem like a gate slot sent straight from Hades, but in Manila, it's a godsend. The Philippines capital has a well-deserved reputation for having some of the worst traffic congestion in the world. I've been staying at Shangri-La The Fort in the Bonifacio Global City, an eight-kilometre car ride to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Leaving the hotel around midnight means Manila's traffic, though still busy, doesn't turn a short journey into an epic crawl.
The look
For a country with cultural connection to colour, flowers and lush leafiness, the grey upon grey of the airport is unforgivable – except perhaps on the grounds that a new mega-airport is being built for Manila, set to open before 2030. Still, 50 million people passed through these terminals in 2024. And more Australians are using it – my Qantas flight is a new service and Cebu Pacific is ramping up its Sydney-Manila runs. Both airlines use Terminal 3, which became fully operational in 2008, four years behind schedule. It's by all accounts much more efficient and better designed than the older terminals, and new private ownership by the giant conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (yes, they also make beer) is seeing ongoing improvements.
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9 News
7 hours ago
- 9 News
Aussies told to avoid more parts of Thailand as locals flee fighting along border
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Australians are being warned to avoid more parts of holiday hotspot Thailand , as conflict with neighbouring Cambodia increases. More areas have been added to the list of places Aussies should "reconsider" going to, as tens of thousands of local people sought refuge as border fighting entered a second day, heightening fears of an extended conflict. "Armed conflict between Thai and Cambodian forces along the Thai-Cambodian border has increased," Smartraveller says. Thai residents evacuate from their homes following clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Sisaket province, Thailand, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) (AP) "We now advise reconsider your need to travel to eight districts in the Chanthaburi and Trat provinces. Martial law has been declared in these areas." Chanthaburi is a town on the Chanthaburi River famous for growing durian. Trat is Thailand's eastern-most province, about 315km from Bangkok. Earlier warnings were made against going to the areas of Buriram, Si Saket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces along the Cambodia border. Smartraveller also warned Australians to reconsider their need to travel to the Cambodian border provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey. The Cambodian provinces are just north of Siem Reap, a historic city globally famous for stunning temples such as Angkor Wat. Smartraveller reports military strikes, violence and landmines and says there have been casualties. Border crossings in the area are closed. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors on Friday in New York, while Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate. A Thai resident prepares to evacuate from home following clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Sisaket province, Thailand, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) (AP) The council did not issue a statement but a council diplomat said all 15 members called on the parties to deescalate, show restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully. The council also urged the regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations known as ASEAN, to help resolve the border fighting, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private. Cambodia's UN Ambassador Chhea Keo told reporters afterward that his country, which called for the emergency meeting, "asked for immediate ceasefires, unconditionally, and we also call for the peaceful solution to the dispute." He responded to accusations that Cambodia attacked Thailand asking how a small country with no air force could attack a much larger country with an army three times its size, stressing, "We do not do that." Keo said the Security Council called for both sides to exercise "maximum restraint and resort to diplomatic solution" which is what Cambodia is calling for as well. Cambodians who fled their villages take refuge in Wat Tham Kambar in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, Friday, July 25, 2025, as Thai and Cambodian soldiers have clashed along the border between their countries in a major escalation. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (AP) Asked what he expects next, the ambassador said: "Let's see how the call can be heard by all the members there." Thailand's UN ambassador left the meeting without stopping to talk to reporters. The Thai Health Ministry said more than 58,000 have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 23,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border. The latest flare-up in a long-running border dispute between the two countries has killed at least 19 people in Thailand — mostly civilians —while Cambodia confirmed its first fatality on Friday. Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said on Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians and damage caused to a hospital. He said Thailand had exercised the "utmost restraint and patience in the face of provocations and aggression" from Cambodia. Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. Thai forces examine a landmine near the Cambodian border. (AP) The Thai military reported clashes early on Friday in multiple areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both sides. Associated Press reporters near the border could hear sounds of artillery from early morning hours. The Thai army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as "appropriate supporting fire" in return. Thailand said six of its soldiers and 13 civilians were killed, including children, while 29 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded. Cambodia's chief official in Oddar Meanchey province, Gen. Khov Ly, said a man died Thursday after a Thai rocket hit a Buddhist pagoda where he was hiding. At least four civilians in the province were also wounded on Thursday. The Cambodian Education Ministry claimed that on Friday two Thai rockets had hit a school compound in Oddar Meanchey but caused no injuries. It said all schools in the province have been closed. The Thai army denied it targeted civilian sites in Cambodia, and accused Cambodia of using "human shields" by positioning their weapons near residential areas. Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers take shelter in Surin province, northeastern Thailand, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunny Chittawil) (AP Photo/Sunny Chittawil) As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee. Around 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 80 kilometres from the border. Evacuees sat in groups, on mats and blankets, and queued for food and drinks. Seamstress Pornpan Sooksai was accompanied by four cats in two fabric carriers. She said she was doing laundry at her home near Ta Muen Thom temple when shelling began on Thursday. "I just heard, boom, boom. We already prepared the cages, clothes and everything, so we ran and carried our things to the car. I was frightened, scared," she recalled. Rattana Meeying, another evacuee, said she had also lived through the 2011 clashes between the two countries but described this flare-up as worse. "Children, old people, were hit out of the blue," she said. "I never imagined it would be this violent." At the nearby Phanom Dong Rak hospital, periodic explosions could be heard on Friday, and a military truck arrived with three injured Thai soldiers, including one who had both legs severed. Thursday's shelling shattered windows at one of the hospital's buildings and damaged its roof. In the neighboring Sisaket province, more villagers took their belongings and left homes in a stream of cars, trucks and motorbikes after they received an evacuation order on Friday. Across the border in Cambodia, villages on the outskirts of Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted. Homes stood locked, while chickens and dogs roamed outside. Some villagers earlier dug holes to create makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on home-made tractors to evacuate, though a few men refused to leave. A remote Buddhist temple surrounded by rice fields accommodated several hundred evacuated villagers. Women rested in hammocks, some cradling babies, while children ran about. Makeshift plastic tents were being set up under the trees. Veng Chin, 74, pleaded with both governments to negotiate a settlement "so that I can return to my home and work on the farm." A convenience store at a gas station is damaged after Cambodia fired artillery shells in Sisaket province, Thailand, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) (AP) The conflict marks a rare instance of armed confrontation between ASEAN member countries though Thailand has tangled with Cambodia before over the border and has had sporadic skirmishes with western neighbour Myanmar. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to a ceasefire and to withdraw their troops from the border, but requested more time before implementing the action, according to a report by Malaysia's Bernama national news agency. Anwar said he had spoken to both Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thailand's Phumtham and urged them to open space for "peaceful dialogue and diplomatic resolution," while offering to have Malaysia facilitate talks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for restraint and urged both countries to resolve disputes through dialogue, according to U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. It's the latest flareup in longstanding border tensions The 800-kilometre frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The last major flare-up in 2011 left 20 dead. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Things got worse when a land mine wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday, leading Bangkok to close the border and expel the Cambodian ambassador. The next day, clashes broke out along the border. Thailand Cambodia World conflict Travel CONTACT US
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
NT Health issues measles alert as confirmed case travels through Darwin, Alice Springs
A man's trip through the Territory has ended with NT Health issuing a measles alert, after he presented to Cairns hospital with symptoms. NT Health issued the alert on Saturday morning, listing a number of locations the 'confirmed case' the tourist had visited in Darwin and Alice Springs. 'Measles is a highly infectious viral illness, which is spread by breathing in airborne droplets from the coughs and sneezes of people infected with the disease,' the alert stated. 'Some people may experience complications from measles infections, including ear infections, pneumonia, and in rare cases infection of the brain (encephalitis). Children under five years old and adults are more likely to experience complications.' The department determined the man visited about nine locations in the Territory across a seven day period, starting with an all-day Litchfield National Park tour with Ethical Adventures on July 17. On July 18 to 19, the man went on an overnight AAPT Kings Jabiru tour, where he also visited the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel between roughly 6-8pm. On July 20, the man visited the Museum and Art Gallery of the NT from 1-3pm, then went to the Darwin Airport at 3.30pm to check in and board QANTAS flight QF1960 to Alice Springs. The flight arrived in Alice Springs and the man was in the airport from 7-7.30pm Sunday night. NT Health did not list the man's next locations until Wednesday, July 23, when he was said to have returned to the Alice Springs Airport at lunchtime to board Airnorth flight TL361 to Cairns. The man likely acquired the disease in Bali, prior to coming to Darwin, according to the department. The NT Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is working to get in touch with people identified as contacts during the seven-day period listed, according to the alert. 'Anyone who attended these locations during these times should monitor for symptoms including fever, sore or red eyes, runny nose and cough, followed by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the face and neck over the rest of the body. Symptoms can take up to 18 days after exposure to develop,' the alert said. Since the start of 2025, 85 measles cases have been detected in Australia. The NT CDC said Territorians born after 1965 should ensure they've had two doses of the measles vaccine – especially if they're travelling to South-East Asia, where there has been measles outbreaks in multiple countries.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- SBS Australia
Fresh warning for Australian travellers amid 'deep concern' over Thailand-Cambodia clash
Australia is "deeply concerned" by escalating tensions across the Thai-Cambodian border, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said, as she urged travellers to reconsider visiting certain areas. A Thai F-16 fighter jet has bombed targets in Cambodia, after artillery fire from both sides killed at least 11 civilians. "Australia is deeply concerned by escalating tensions across the Thai-Cambodian border, including reports of injuries and loss of life," Wong said on X on Friday. "We urge both sides to de-escalate and resolve border issues peacefully." Travel advice for Thailand and Cambodia As of Friday, Smartraveller advised Australians to reconsider their need to travel to the Thai border areas of Buriram, Si Saket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces near the Cambodian border due to armed conflict in the area. This includes "reports of military strikes, violence and landmines", the advice says. "Follow the advice of local authorities, monitor local media for updates and pay close attention to your personal security. Border crossing points along the Thai-Cambodian border continue to be closed at short notice." Smartraveller continues to advise travellers to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to Thailand overall. In Cambodia, Australians are urged to reconsider travelling to the border areas of the northern and north-western provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey, while exercising normal safety precautions overall. Border clashes: What we know so far Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations along the border. Thailand positioned six F-16 fighter jets in an uncommon combat deployment, one of which was mobilised to strike a Cambodian military target — among measures Cambodia's foreign ministry called "reckless and brutal military aggression". Thailand's military said the use of air power was to strike with precision. Thailand said there had been 12 fatalities in three Thai provinces, 11 of them civilians, including an eight-year-old boy. Authorities said 31 people were injured on Thursday. The number of Cambodian casualties was unclear. Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers taking shelter in Surin province in north-eastern Thailand. Source: AAP / AP/Sunny Chittawil "We condemn this — using heavy weapons without a clear target, outside of conflict zones ... the use of force and did not adhere to international law," Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters. "We remain committed to peaceful means and there should be discussions, but what happened was a provocation and we had to defend ourselves." In a letter to Pakistan, which currently holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet urged the body to convene a meeting to stop what he called "unprovoked and premeditated military aggression" by Thailand in violation of international law. The two countries have been braced for conflict since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish, with troops reinforced on both sides of the border. The recent escalation — the worst fighting between the countries in 13 years — came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh and expelled Cambodia's envoy. This was in response to a second Thai soldier losing a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops in the disputed area — an accusation Cambodia called baseless. A decades-long border dispute Thailand and Cambodia have for decades disputed the jurisdiction of several undemarcated points along their 817km land border. Ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the Preah Vihear have been central to the disputes. The clashes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok. Source: AAP / EPA/Kith Serey Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 but tensions escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. That led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths. In June, Cambodia said it had asked the ICJ to resolve its disputes with Thailand. However, Thailand says it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach. How other countries have responded In the region, the Philippines and Vietnam have called for restraint and China expressed willingness to help promote de-escalation. The United States, a long-time treaty ally of Thailand, called for an immediate end to hostilities. "We are ... gravely concerned by the escalating violence along the Thailand-Cambodia border, and deeply saddened by reports of harm to civilians," the US state department's deputy spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, told a regular news briefing. "The United States urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution of the conflict." With additional reporting by the Reuters news agency.
