Latest news with #PreahVihear
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Cambodia is committed to peace on the border
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Advertisement Your June 2 article , 'Cambodia to file complaint with ICJ over Thai border dispute that left 1 soldier dead', rightly draws attention to a serious issue facing both our nations. The unprovoked shooting by a Thai soldier on May 28 that led to the tragic death of a Cambodian soldier occurred near Techo Morokot village in Preah Vihear province, close to the historic Preah Vihear Temple, in a sector long administered by Cambodia. It is one of four zones administered by Cambodia but still subject to Thai claims despite clear legal foundations. Cambodia responded to this tragedy not with escalation but with restraint and principle, proposing that both nations submit the matter jointly to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). When that offer was declined, Cambodia chose to proceed with the ICJ independently, openly and in accordance with international law. The ICJ exists precisely to adjudicate such disputes. Cambodia's decision to approach the ICJ is not about reviving historical grievances or fanning nationalist flames. It is about preventing further loss of life, safeguarding regional stability and strengthening the rules-based order in Southeast Asia. The people who live along our shared frontier, Cambodians and Thais alike, are the ones most directly affected. When tensions rise, cross-border trade suffers, livelihoods are disrupted and fear takes hold. The ICJ has ruled on this frontier before, and Cambodia respects that process. In 1962, the court determined that the Preah Vihear Temple lies on Cambodian territory, relying in part on a map drawn by French surveyors in 1907 and later formally acknowledged by Thai officials, who have used this map without objection for years. In 2013, the court reaffirmed Cambodia's sovereignty over the temple and clarified that it includes the surrounding area necessary for access and protection. These legal principles continue to guide Cambodia's peaceful approach today. Advertisement Notably, Cambodia is not producing rival maps or engaging in political grandstanding. We continue to rely on legal norms and remain open to technical cooperation in non-contested areas.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Foreign Office issues urgent advice for British tourists in Thailand
The UK Government has updated its advice for British tourists holidaying in Thailand and Cambodia. Thailand's army has closed country's border crossings into Cambodia after a deterioration in relations between the two Southeast Asian countries. In an update on the FCDO advice page for Thailand, the Foreign Office says: 'Land borders/crossings between Thailand and Cambodia are temporarily suspended due to a dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. 'Take extra care and stay alert in border areas and follow the instructions of local authorities, especially at tourist destinations such as the Preah Vihear temple, the Ta Kwai temple and the Ta Muen Thom temple. 'There are also unexploded landmines in the border area. Stay on marked paths especially around Ta Krabey.' The border is currently closed to nearly all travellers, including international tourists. Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Monday that Thailand would block departing tourists. There are exemptions in place for students, medical patients and people who need to purchase essential goods. In the Foreign Office's advice for Cambodia, the government also shared an updated warning over the closed land borders. It advises tourists to 'follow the instructions of the local authorities' and 'take extra care'. Tensions between the two countries have been high since May when troops exchanged fire at a contested area of the border. A Cambodian soldier was killed in the incident between the two countries. In the weeks since, Cambodia has banned Thai films from TV and cinemas and put restrictions on imports. Both Thailand and Cambodia are popular backpacking destinations with many travellers visiting both countries as part of one trip. Known as the 'Banana Pancake Trail', tourists tend to take follow a route through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. Many travellers choose to cross at the country's land borders, rather than taking internal flights. The Poipet border is one of the busiest crossings between the two countries as it's closest to Bangkok and the ancient city of Siem Reap in Cambodia. Siem Reap is one of Cambodia's major attractions and a huge draw for tourists in southeast Asia Local media reported that many travellers were left stranded at the crossing after the border closure on the morning of June 24. Cambodia's casino industry is likely to be impacted by the closure as the attractions are a key draw for Thai visitors. Casinos located in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh are a central part of its tourism industry.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Cambodia accuses Thailand of escalating tensions with new land crossing restrictions
In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet reviews his troop during his visit to Preah Vihear, near Cambodia-Thailand border in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AKP via AP) PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia's government on Tuesday accused Thailand of escalating border tensions by imposing new restrictions that have blocked almost all land crossings, especially for tourists heading into Cambodia. Relations between the neighbors have deteriorated following an armed confrontation on May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed in a relatively small, contested territory along their border. While the two sides have agreed to de-escalate their dispute, they have continued to implement or threaten measures that have kept tensions high. The Thai army on Monday imposed heightened restrictions at border checkpoints with Cambodia following an order from Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to allow only students, medical patients and others with essential needs to enter or leave Thailand. That also makes it impossible for thousands of tourists to cross between the two countries. Pen Bona, a spokesperson of the Cambodian government, said Tuesday that Cambodia has committed to resolve the conflict through diplomatic channels, but tensions have soared because of Thailand's actions. 'The Cambodian government has already stated that we will not initiate any border closure,' and that it will also lift restrictions if Thailand does so first, he said. Cambodia has boycotted some Thai internet services, banned Thai fruits and vegetables, and blocked electricity and fuel supplies from Thailand in response to the border dispute. Prior to the boycott, Cambodia imported 30 per cent of its gasoline and other fuel from Thailand. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet on Monday visited troops at the border and a temporary shelter for thousands of civilians who were evacuated from the area. He said that while Cambodia doesn't want war, 'we cannot stand by and let us be abused.' In addition to border restrictions, Paetongtarn also announced measures targeting online scam operations in Cambodia. They include blocking exports that could facilitate such activities in Cambodia and coordination with other countries and international agencies to crack down on cybercrime based in Southeast Asia. Pen Bona said that while he recognized that Cambodia 'is being exploited by online scammers,' many such operations are also based in Thailand. 'This is a very shameful thing that is happening in Thailand, but they are trying to divert the story from Thailand to Cambodia,' he said. Thailand earlier this year implemented measures to crack down on online scam operations in neighboring Myanmar, severing electricity, internet and gas supplies to border towns where the syndicates were based. Sopheng Cheang, The Associated Press
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Cambodian workers in Thailand caught in crossfire of nationalist war
From Cambodian cassava being blocked for sale in Thailand to a ban on Thai fuel flowing the other way, a border spat stoked by nationalists on both sides has left more than one million Cambodians working in Thailand exposed to a damaging fallout. Over 5,000 Cambodian workers returned each day last week, fearing border closures and a growing nationalist enmity inside Thailand, Cambodian officials have said. On Monday, Hun Manet, Cambodia 's prime minister and the scion of the Hun Sen dynasty, which has dominated the country for over three decades, visited a temporary camp at a border area pagoda in Preah Vihear province in support of returned migrant workers. 'Cambodia doesn't want to see war break out because we're used to swimming across it,' Manet posted on his Facebook page. 'But we can't stand to be abused.' The row began in late May after a Cambodian soldier was shot dead by Thai troops in a firefight that Bangkok said was triggered by an incursion on Thai soil – a claim denied by Cambodia. Traders including from Cambodia gather at the Ban Laem border area in Thailand's Chanthaburi province. Photo: Loeung Sophon Since then, leaders of the two countries have traded allegations, closed borders and stopped the flow of certain goods, while citizens in both nations urge boycotts and trade insults online.
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Cambodians don't want to be a chess piece in the US-China rivalry
For Cambodians who have gone for the better part of three decades without war, peace is preferred. But for many in the country, backing down isn't an option either. That rings true for the challenges posed by the US-China rivalry, the Trump administration and the recent border skirmish with Thailand that left a Cambodian soldier dead in contested territory Four days after the skirmish, I travelled by bus from Thailand to Cambodia. By then, both governments had agreed to resolve their border dispute peacefully; Cambodia has since taken the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. This isn't the ICJ's first involvement with the disputed area, which has four Hindu temples . In 2013, the court clarified a 1962 ruling in favour of Cambodia – affirming its ownership of one of the temples, Preah Vihear – but the dispute dates back further. After conquering Cambodia in the 19th century, imperial France signed a 1904 treaty with the kingdom of Siam delineating their border. But the map produced in 1907 by French surveyors was seen as deviating from the agreement and later contested by Thailand. Over a century later, after gunshots rang out from the border area known as the Emerald Triangle , there is much speculation over what the latest border clash means in the context of US-China competition in the region. 'We find ourselves in the position of a sort of a hostage scenario that we're caught up in between dependencies on two contending powers,' said Yang Sophorn, president of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions.
