Latest news with #JuaraweeKittisilpa
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thai military prepared for 'high-level operation' if Cambodia border row escalates
By Juarawee Kittisilpa, Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's military said it is ready to launch a "high-level operation" to counter any violation of its sovereignty, in the strongest words yet in a simmering border dispute with Cambodia that re-erupted with a deadly clash last week. The army said in a statement late on Thursday that its intelligence gathering indicated Cambodia had stepped up its military readiness at their border while diplomatic efforts were ongoing, describing that as "worrisome". The statement was in sharp contrast with one from the government just hours earlier, when it urged Cambodia to positively engage in dialogue via an existing mechanism between them. "The army is now ready for a high-level military operation in case it is necessary to retaliate against the violation of sovereignty," it said, ahead of a meeting of its armed forces top brass scheduled for Friday. "Operations of units at the border have been conducted carefully, calmly and based on an understanding of the situation to prevent losses on all sides, but at the same time, are ready to defend the country's sovereignty to the fullest extent if the situation is called for." Cambodia's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Thai military statement on Friday. The governments of the two countries had for days exchanged carefully worded statements committing to dialogue after a brief skirmish in an undemarcated border area on May 28 in which a Cambodian soldier was killed. Although the two countries have a historic rivalry, their governments enjoy friendly ties, partly due to the close relationship between their influential former leaders, Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia's Hun Sen, whose daughter and son respectively are now the prime ministers in their countries. The issue comes at a tricky time for the Pheu Thai Party-led administration in Thailand as it battles to revive a flagging economy that could be hit by steep U.S. tariffs, while facing a challenge to its popularity having paused a signature cash handout to tens of millions of people. The party of the billionaire Shinawatra family has a troubled history with the Thai military, which twice toppled its governments in 2006 and 2014 coups. Deadly clashes between Cambodia and Thailand last erupted in 2011 over the Preah Vihear, a 900-year-old temple at the heart of a decades-long row that has stirred nationalist sentiment on both sides. The International Court of Justice in 2013 ruled in favour of Cambodia in clarifying a 1962 decision to award it jurisdiction over the temple, saying part of the land around it was Cambodia's and Thai troops must withdraw from the area. Cambodia said this week it is committed to peace and plans to resolve the issue by referring disputes over four parts of their border to the ICJ and has asked Thailand to cooperate. Thailand says it does not recognise the court's jurisdiction. (Reporting Juarawee Kittisilpa; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by John Mair)
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Thai woman gives birth to baby girl amid chaos of earthquake
By Juarawee Kittisilpa BANGKOK (Reuters) - In the chaos of Friday's earthquake, a Thai woman gave birth to a baby girl on a rolling bed in a hospital as it was being evacuated. The powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake centred in Myanmar on Friday rattled buildings as far away as the Thai capital, Bangkok, leading to patients being evacuated to the ground floor and outside buildings for safety. Kanthong Saenmuangshin, 36, had gone to hospital for a routine check-up but went into labour after the ground started shaking. Kanthong's waters broke while she was being escorted by medical staff of the Police General Hospital down five flights of stairs, and she was worried she would give birth on the stairway. "I was telling my baby, don't come out yet," Kanthong said on Saturday. "Then I was put on a hospital bed and was surrounded by a lot of medical staffs where I just gave birth right then and there. It was all a shock to me too," she told Reuters. At that time, her husband was at work and could not make it to the hospital in time for the birth. Relief came when her daughter was finally born. The ground had stopped shaking and the sight of her brought Kanthong happiness. She and her husband have given their baby a nickname, "Mink". They have not yet decided on her full official name but do not plan to give her any names related to the earthquake. (Writing by Kay Johnson, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
