Latest news with #SuranareeTaskForce
The Star
20 hours ago
- The Star
Ex-Thai ranger charged for punching Cambodian soldier at Surin border temple
BANGKOK: A former Thai ranger is facing legal action after assaulting a Cambodian soldier near the Ta Muen Thom Temple in Surin province on Sunday (July 13), according to the Royal Thai Army (RTA). RTA spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree (pic) confirmed the incident, citing a report from the Suranaree Task Force. He said the altercation occurred at around 10.20am, when a Thai tourist punched the Cambodian officer both from behind and in the face before fleeing the scene. Thai authorities later apprehended the suspect. The attacker was identified as Sommai (surname withheld), a former ranger who now serves as president of the volunteer rangers club at Pak Thong Chai camp and heads the veterans network in Samut Sakhon province. Winthai explained that, given the incident took place at a popular tourist site, Thai military officers had spoken to the Cambodian side to help de-escalate tensions and prevent any damage to bilateral relations at the local level. The suspect has since been handed over to police for legal proceedings, he added. - The Nation/ANN
Bangkok Post
a day ago
- Bangkok Post
Thai ex-ranger arrested for punching Cambodian soldier
SURIN: A former Thai paramilitary ranger was arrested for punching a Cambodian soldier at Ta Muen Thom temple ruins in this northeastern province on Sunday. According to Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the Royal Thai Army, the Suranaree Task Force reported at 10.20am that a Thai tourist hit a Cambodian soldier who was part of a coordination team at Ta Muen Thom temple ruins. The man punched the Cambodian officer from behind and in front before fleeing. Thai officials later arrested the man. The army spokesman identified the man as former paramilitary ranger Sommai Srisukranan, the leader of a paramilitary ranger club at the Pak Thong Chai camp in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The arrested man also leads a war veterans' network in Samut Sakhon province. claims as its own territory.
Bangkok Post
a day ago
- Bangkok Post
Thai ex-ranger arrested for punching Cambodian soldier at border temple
SURIN: A former Thai paramilitary ranger was arrested for punching a Cambodian soldier at Ta Muen Thom temple ruins in this northeastern province on Sunday. According to Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the Royal Thai Army, the Suranaree Task Force reported at 10.20am that a Thai tourist hit a Cambodian soldier who was part of a coordination team at Ta Muen Thom temple ruins. The man punched the Cambodian officer from behind and in front before fleeing. Thai officials later arrested the man. The army spokesman identified the man as former paramilitary ranger Sommai Srisukranan, the leader of a paramilitary ranger club at the Pak Thong Chai camp in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The arrested man also leads a war veterans' network in Samut Sakhon province. claims as its own territory.
Bangkok Post
2 days ago
- Bangkok Post
Thai ex-ranger arrested for punching Cambodian soldier at border temple ruins
SURIN: A former Thai paramilitary ranger was arrested for punching a Cambodian soldier at Ta Muen Thom temple ruins in this northeastern province on Sunday, according to the army spokesman. Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the Royal Thai Army, said the Suranaree Task Force reported at 10.20am that a Thai tourist hit a Cambodian soldier who was part of a coordination team at Ta Muen Thom temple ruins. The man punched the Cambodian officer both from behind and in front before fleeing. Thai officials later arrested the man. The army spokesman identified the man as former paramilitary ranger Sommai Srisukranan, the head of a paramilitary ranger club at the Pak Thong Chai camp in Nakhon Ratchasima province and a war veterans' network in Samut Sakhon province. At the temple ruins, Thai military officers tried to talk with the assaulted soldier to maintain ties between local officials on both sides and the assailant was to face police prosecution, Maj Gen Winthai said. Ta Muen Thom is among four Thai border areas that Cambodia claims as its own territory.
Straits Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Thailand heads into political turbulence as Cambodia row festers
FILE PHOTO: Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra meets with Suranaree Task Force personnel, following a leak on Wednesday of a phone call between Paetongtarn and Cambodia's former PM Hun Sen, amid a border dispute between the two countries, at Morakot Operations Base, in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, June 20, 2025. Government House of Thailand/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks during a press conference following a leak on Wednesday of a phone call between her and Cambodia's Hun Sen, the influential former premier of Cambodia, amid a border dispute between the two countries, at the Government House, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Panumas Sanguanwong/File Photo BANGKOK - Thailand's government said on Monday it would push ahead with a cabinet reshuffle this week, facing down a backlash against its handling of a border row with Cambodia that has left Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra hanging on to power by a thread. Tensions with Thailand and Cambodia remain elevated, with the Southeast Asian neighbours announcing tit-for-tat measures that are stoking nationalist fervour on both sides and stymieing bilateral trade, including a suspension by Phnom Penh of all Thai fuel and gas imports that came into effect on Monday. In Bangkok, days after the parliamentary majority of the ruling coalition led by Paetongtarn's Pheu Thai party was threatened by the exit of a major alliance member, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai sought to project unity. "I'm 100% confident that we will move ahead strongly after the cabinet reshuffle is completed this week," he told reporters. "You will see a new way of working that's different from before." Paetongtarn, a 38-year-old political novice and daughter of divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has come under fire after a phone call between her and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen to diffuse a long-festering border dispute became public last Wednesday. In the audio, which was released in full by Hun Sen after the initial leak of a clip, the Thai premier appears to grovel before the Cambodian politician and also denigrates a senior Thai military commander in charge of the disputed border area. Hours after the audio became public, the second-largest coalition member, the Bhumjaithai Party, quit the government, putting its parliamentary majority and Paetongtarn's premiership under threat. Pheu Thai has managed to hold the remainder of its coalition together, with the cabinet reshuffle meant to redistribute ministerial positions previously held by Bhumjaithai. The coalition's stability will be tested in parliament, which reconvenes next week, and on the streets as anti-government groups plan a major protest to call for the prime minister's resignation which will start on Saturday. Adding to the pressure, Paetongtarn also faces scrutiny from the judiciary after a group of senators seeking her removal petitioned the Constitutional Court and an anti-graft body to investigate her conduct over the leaked phone call. "The government cannot take anything for granted," said Titipol Phakdeewanich, a political science professor at Ubon Ratchathani University. "There's more instability ahead." TRADE UNDER THREAT At the root of the current crisis for Paetongtarn and Pheu Thai is a historic border dispute with Cambodia, which has previously led to violent clashes, including the death of a Cambodian soldier during a skirmish last month. Partly banking on strong ties between the Shinawatra family and Hun Sen, the government initially pushed for a diplomatic solution to the flare-up, even as Cambodia moved to petition the International Court of Justice to resolve the matter. However, the unexpected release of the audio not only brought the Thai government to the brink, it has also led to a further deterioration in relations between the neighbours. Hun Manet, Cambodia's prime minister and Hun Sen's son, said on Sunday that his administration would stop all fuel and gas imports from Thailand, following an earlier move to stall the entry of some Thai agricultural produce. "Fuel supply companies in Cambodia are able to import sufficiently from other sources to meet domestic fuel and gas demands," he said in a post on Facebook. For its part, the Thai government has handed over control of border crossings along the Cambodian frontier to its military, which has tightened entry restrictions and shut down one crossing point, citing security concerns. Cambodia was Thailand's 11th largest export market last year, with $10.4 billion in bilateral trade between the neighbours, dominated by precious stones, jewellery and fuels, according to Thai government data. And more than half a million Cambodian workers are employed in Thailand, according to the Thai Labour Ministry. "The Cambodia situation is complex; it isn't about just a conflict between the two countries," said Titipol, "There is also a Hun-Shinawatra dimension that could still shake the government." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
