Thailand repatriated two Cambodian soldiers on Friday from a group of 20 detained last week, just days before crucial talks in Malaysia aimed at upholding a fragile ceasefire along the disputed Thai-Cambodian border.
Tensions between the two Southeast Asian nations erupted into the worst fighting in over a decade, with artillery exchanges and airstrikes claiming at least 43 lives and displacing more than 300,000 people.
A ceasefire was reached on Monday, following intervention from Malaysia and pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned that tariff negotiations would be suspended unless hostilities ceased. The White House later confirmed that both countries’ U.S. tariff rates would be lowered from 36% to 19% after further negotiations.
On Friday, Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said the two Cambodian soldiers had been sent home while the remaining 18 were being processed under immigration law for illegally entering Thai territory.
“They crossed into Thailand and were taken into custody. The army handled them with humanitarian consideration,” he stated.
Cambodia’s defence ministry called for the release of all detained soldiers, citing international humanitarian law and ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure their freedom.
Originally planned for Phnom Penh, the upcoming talks between defence ministers and military commanders will now be hosted in Malaysia at Thailand’s request for a neutral venue. The discussions, scheduled for 4-7 August, will be held under the General Border Committee- a joint mechanism focused on border security, ceasefire enforcement, and troop coordination.
Malaysia, which currently chairs ASEAN, said defence attachés from ASEAN member states, as well as representatives from the U.S. and China, will attend.
Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have simmered for decades, particularly over several ancient temples and undemarcated stretches along their 817-km shared border. A deadly incident in May that killed a Cambodian soldier escalated into a troop build-up and ultimately the five-day conflict in late July.
At least 30 people died and hundreds were displaced in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state on Tuesday (24 February) after relentless, record-breaking rainfa...
Peace-making has a habit of creating new enemies—especially when it reduces someone else’s leverage. As Azerbaijan and Armenia move toward a settl...
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is heading to Beijing on for his first official visit as chancellor, aiming to strengthen political and economic dial...
Newcastle United secured a 3–2 victory over Qarabağ FK in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs at St James’ Park....
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should block financial support to Russia rather than...
Peace-making has a habit of creating new enemies—especially when it reduces someone else’s leverage. As Azerbaijan and Armenia move toward a settlement architecture that no longer depends on Moscow as the indispensable broker, pressure has not vanished; it has shifted shape.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is heading to Beijing on for his first official visit as chancellor, aiming to strengthen political and economic dialogue with China before tackling pressing international crises.
Newcastle United secured a 3–2 victory over Qarabağ FK in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs at St James’ Park.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should block financial support to Russia rather than Ukraine, as Budapest opposes the European Union’s 20th sanctions package against Moscow.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
Seven people were killed after gunmen ambushed a police patrol in Kohat, a district in Pakistan’s north-west near the Afghan border, on Tuesday, in an attack that comes amid rising militant violence and heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is heading to Beijing on for his first official visit as chancellor, aiming to strengthen political and economic dialogue with China before tackling pressing international crises.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should block financial support to Russia rather than Ukraine, as Budapest opposes the European Union’s 20th sanctions package against Moscow.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has called for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, describing the conflict as “a stain on our collective conscience”.
Newcastle United secured a 3–2 victory over Qarabağ FK in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs at St James’ Park.
Laurence des Cars, director of the Louvre Museum, has resigned months after a $102 million daylight heist at the museum, which prompted a parliamentary inquiry.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment