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.
The pro-independence coalition Kanak and Socialist National Liberation (FLNKS) has formally withdrawn its signatures from the so-called “Accord de B...
The U.S. government has shut down after Congress failed to approve funding. Non-essential services are paused, thousands of federal workers are left u...
NATO navies are ramping up defenses in the Baltic and North Seas as Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of deceptive vessels grows rapidly, raisin...
The Pentagon recommitted itself in a statement on Tuesday to scaling back its military mission in Iraq, a process that a U.S. official said will see B...
U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday as investors assessed the implications of the federal government shutdown, which threatens to disrupt the r...
The pro-independence coalition Kanak and Socialist National Liberation (FLNKS) has formally withdrawn its signatures from the so-called “Accord de Bougival”, accusing the French state of misrepresentation and “brute force” tactics in New Caledonia’s decolonisation process.
The U.S. government has shut down after Congress failed to approve funding. Non-essential services are paused, thousands of federal workers are left unpaid, and both parties blame each other for the deadlock.
NATO navies are ramping up defenses in the Baltic and North Seas as Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of deceptive vessels grows rapidly, raising fears of espionage and sabotage against critical infrastructure.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
The pro-independence coalition Kanak and Socialist National Liberation (FLNKS) has formally withdrawn its signatures from the so-called “Accord de Bougival”, accusing the French state of misrepresentation and “brute force” tactics in New Caledonia’s decolonisation process.
The U.S. government has shut down after Congress failed to approve funding. Non-essential services are paused, thousands of federal workers are left unpaid, and both parties blame each other for the deadlock.
NATO navies are ramping up defenses in the Baltic and North Seas as Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of deceptive vessels grows rapidly, raising fears of espionage and sabotage against critical infrastructure.
The Pentagon recommitted itself in a statement on Tuesday to scaling back its military mission in Iraq, a process that a U.S. official said will see Baghdad command efforts to combat remnants of Islamic State inside its own country.
U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday as investors assessed the implications of the federal government shutdown, which threatens to disrupt the release of key economic data and complicate the Federal Reserve's policy path.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment