https://www.scmp.com/rss/517785/feed The latest news on Hun Sen, Cambodian politician and President of the Senate of Cambodia, including political news and updates. <br /> en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Wednesday that scam centres were destroying his country’s economy and giving the nation a bad name – pushing back on allegations of government connivance. The nation has emerged as a hotspot for crime syndicates running a multibillion-dollar fraud industry that sees scammers lure internet users globally into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments. “The scam network, what we call the black economy, is destroying our honest economy.... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344713/cambodias-hun-manet-denies-state-profiting-scam-centre-proceeds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344713/cambodias-hun-manet-denies-state-profiting-scam-centre-proceeds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 07:39:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A sign hanging from a rusty shipping container installed by Thai forces on what they say is the border with Cambodia proclaims: “Cambodian citizens are strictly prohibited from entering this area.” On opposite sides of the makeshift barricade, fronted by coils of barbed wire, Cambodians lamented their lost homes and livelihoods as Thailand’s military showed off its gains. Thai forces took control of several patches of disputed land along the border during fighting last year, which could amount... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342765/cambodians-lose-homes-thailand-makes-gains-following-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342765/cambodians-lose-homes-thailand-makes-gains-following-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 09:28:53 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A “threat assessment” of Thailand amid deadly land border clashes has finally convinced Cambodia to ratify a major UN maritime treaty, according to analysts. Speculation that the Thai navy might close off supply lanes in the Gulf of Thailand also weighed heavily in Phnom Penh’s decision, they said. Phnom Penh ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) on January 16, more than four decades after signing the treaty. It is the last Asean member to do so. Passed during the fifth... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341350/thailand-border-threat-pushes-cambodia-sign-un-sea-treaty-after-over-40-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341350/thailand-border-threat-pushes-cambodia-sign-un-sea-treaty-after-over-40-years?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:23:16 +0000 Phoebe Zhang,Sylvie Zhuang Phoebe Zhang,Sylvie Zhuang When a film about an investigation into a phone scam in Cambodia debuted at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018, it was not the cast or the plot that drew attention in China. Instead, the focus was on the film’s executive producer, Chen Zhi – a billionaire Chinese businessman who has himself been accused of running a sprawling online scam network in Cambodia. In The Prey – touted as Cambodia’s “first million-dollar action movie” – an undercover Interpol operative ends up in jail. But... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3341096/why-china-was-so-keen-get-alleged-cybercrime-boss-chen-zhi-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3341096/why-china-was-so-keen-get-alleged-cybercrime-boss-chen-zhi-first?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s ruling party, which is seeking to retain power in next month’s election, has vowed to resolve the country’s conflict with Cambodia and clean up its image as a transit hub for trafficked scam victims. The conservative Bhumjaithai Party, which took power in September, has cast itself as the most suitable defender of Thai sovereignty during the border dispute between the two Southeast Asian countries. Clashes erupted for five days last July and reignited in December before a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340252/thai-ruling-party-courts-voters-vowing-end-cambodia-conflict-close-scam-hubs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340252/thai-ruling-party-courts-voters-vowing-end-cambodia-conflict-close-scam-hubs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 07:30:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia said on Friday that Thai forces had taken control of a disputed border village, accusing Thailand of “annexing” the area after a truce halted deadly fighting along their contested frontier a week ago. The decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing more than one million on both sides. The two countries agreed a truce on December 27, pledging to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338613/cambodia-accuses-thailand-annexing-chouk-chey-border-village-despite-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338613/cambodia-accuses-thailand-annexing-chouk-chey-border-village-despite-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 09:02:42 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s caretaker leader Anutin Charnvirakul was picked by his party on Wednesday to stand as its candidate for prime minister in a ‌general election in early February, as he bids to benefit from a wave of nationalism ‍arising from an ongoing border conflict with Cambodia. Less than 100 days after he was elected premier, Anutin dissolved parliament earlier this month when his minority government faced the threat of a no-confidence vote. Speaking to party members and supporters on Wednesday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337626/thailand-election-2025-anutin-named-pm-candidate-february-poll-amid-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337626/thailand-election-2025-anutin-named-pm-candidate-february-poll-amid-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:49:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse More than half a million people in Cambodia have been displaced by two weeks of deadly border clashes with Thailand, Phnom Penh said on Sunday, ahead of regional talks aimed at easing tensions. The renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours this month, including with tanks, drones and artillery, has killed at least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia, officials said. The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800 kilometre (500... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337238/cambodia-thai-border-clashes-displace-half-million-ahead-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337238/cambodia-thai-border-clashes-displace-half-million-ahead-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 11:37:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s military has said it is considering blocking fuel exports to Cambodia, as fighting between the two countries spread to coastal areas of a disputed border region two days after US President Donald Trump said the sides had agreed to a new ceasefire. The Southeast Asian neighbours have resorted to arms several times this year since a Cambodian soldier was killed in a May skirmish, reigniting a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Thai... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336415/thai-pm-anutin-says-no-cambodian-ceasefire-first-civilian-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336415/thai-pm-anutin-says-no-cambodian-ceasefire-first-civilian-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 23:05:33 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones At least 10 people have been killed as fighting fanned across the long Thai-Cambodian border, officials said on Tuesday, driving tens of thousands of civilians from their homes as both nations ignored a White House warning to end the bloodshed. The latest escalation has shattered a shaky US-steered truce that had largely held since late October, when Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian leader Hun Manet agreed to halt hostilities under a deal witnessed by US President Donald... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335687/fighting-rages-across-thai-cambodian-border-us-calls-calm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335687/fighting-rages-across-thai-cambodian-border-us-calls-calm?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 04:01:03 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military positions on Monday after a Thai soldier was killed, pushing a shaky US-brokered truce to the brink of collapse as it vowed to cripple its neighbour’s ability to fight back over the shared frontier. Each side accused the other of shattering the peace by mounting attacks on border bases and personnel over the weekend, in the fiercest eruption of hostilities for months between the Southeast Asian neighbours. The violence has forced thousands of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335559/thailand-launches-air-strikes-cambodia-after-soldier-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335559/thailand-launches-air-strikes-cambodia-after-soldier-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 04:54:48 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi By lifting its arms embargo on Cambodia, Washington has signalled that President Donald Trump aims to lure Phnom Penh away from Beijing – a move experts warn would be difficult to achieve. According to a notice from the US Federal Register, the State Department formally ended its arms embargo on Cambodia as of November 7, and any arms sales to the country will now be decided on a case-by-case basis. “Based on Cambodia’s diligent pursuit of peace and security, including through renewed engagement... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332974/us-ends-arms-embargo-can-it-pry-cambodia-away-china-defence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332974/us-ends-arms-embargo-can-it-pry-cambodia-away-china-defence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 11:00:11 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has threatened to derail a fragile peace deal with Cambodia – signed just last month – after a landmine explosion injured two Thai soldiers near their shared border. The soldiers stepped on what the Thai army suspects were newly laid mines while on routine patrol Monday in Si Sa Ket province. It was the seventh such blast in four months, following a wave of explosions in July that sparked the deadliest border clashes in years. As a result, Thailand... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332191/thailand-suspends-trump-backed-peace-deal-cambodia-after-landmine-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332191/thailand-suspends-trump-backed-peace-deal-cambodia-after-landmine-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:48:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand and Cambodia have begun withdrawing heavy weapons and conducting demining operations along their contested border as part of steps to de-escalate tensions following last week’s signing of an extended truce, Thai officials said on Monday. The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia signed an enhanced ceasefire deal last week in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of US President Donald Trump, three months after border tensions between the two countries exploded into a deadly five-day... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331340/thailand-and-cambodia-begin-border-demining-after-trump-backed-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331340/thailand-and-cambodia-begin-border-demining-after-trump-backed-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 10:18:08 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen has complained to Kuala Lumpur that Thailand has been broadcasting “ghost sounds” along the disputed border despite a Malaysia-brokered ceasefire agreement. The former Cambodian prime minister wrote in a social media post that he had informed Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of the scary noises disturbing residents in the Sereng and Prey Chan border villages for four consecutive nights from Friday. During the meeting on Tuesday, Hun Sen... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3329268/ghost-sounds-along-thai-cambodia-border-conjure-war-words?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3329268/ghost-sounds-along-thai-cambodia-border-conjure-war-words?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:11:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US government has seized more than US$14 billion in bitcoin and charged the founder of a Cambodian conglomerate in a massive cryptocurrency scam, accusing him and unnamed co-conspirators of exploiting forced labour to dupe would-be investors and using the proceeds to buy yachts, jets and a Picasso painting. In an indictment unsealed on Tuesday, Brooklyn federal prosecutors charged Prince Holding Group chairman Chen Zhi with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. At the same... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3329046/cambodian-tycoon-exposed-mastermind-us14-billion-crypto-fraud-empire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3329046/cambodian-tycoon-exposed-mastermind-us14-billion-crypto-fraud-empire?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 02:14:22 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan US President Donald Trump has asked to preside over the signing of a peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand when he attends the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month, according to four government and diplomatic sources. Southeast Asia is hoping to negotiate concessions to punishing tariffs imposed by Washington when they meet in the Malaysian capital from October 26 to 28, adding significance to Trump’s request for a peace signing ceremony. At least 43 people were killed over five days... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328148/trump-wants-thai-cambodian-peace-deal-photo-op-asean-summit-boost-nobel-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328148/trump-wants-thai-cambodian-peace-deal-photo-op-asean-summit-boost-nobel-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:07:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen on Monday blasted a social media video of a man shooting at his image during a carnival in Thailand, amid simmering tensions over the nations’ disputed border. Territorial tensions spiralled in July into the deadliest military clashes between Cambodia and Thailand in decades, killing more than 40 people and forcing around 300,000 to flee their homes. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire after five days of fighting, and have since repeatedly traded... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328039/cambodias-hun-sen-blasts-immoral-thai-game-targeting-his-image?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328039/cambodias-hun-sen-blasts-immoral-thai-game-targeting-his-image?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:16:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Thai gunman was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the murder of a Cambodian opposition politician in Bangkok, a judge said. French national Lim Kimya, a former opposition lawmaker in Cambodia, was shot dead on January 7 by Ekkalak Paenoi as the ex-MP visited Bangkok with his wife. Cambodian opposition figures have accused the country’s powerful former leader Hun Sen of ordering the shooting. This week, Lim Kimya’s widow called for a full accounting of who was behind it. “The actions of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327753/thai-gunman-gets-life-sentence-cambodian-politician-lim-kimyas-murder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327753/thai-gunman-gets-life-sentence-cambodian-politician-lim-kimyas-murder?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 06:31:40 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s new prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, presented his policy platform on Monday, with quick-fix measures to ease the rising cost of living as well as promises to win back tourists, while committing to dissolving parliament in just four months to end the country’s political stalemate. The country’s third prime minister in two years faces twin challenges: economic woes exacerbated by a stubbornly strong baht and a security threat as the ceasefire with Cambodia threatens to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327234/thailands-pm-anutin-pledges-swift-action-economy-and-tourism-amid-political-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327234/thailands-pm-anutin-pledges-swift-action-economy-and-tourism-amid-political-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 08:55:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s prime minister said on Friday that his government will propose a referendum on whether to revoke two agreements on the demarcation of its border with Cambodia as part of a plan to address a simmering dispute with its neighbour. Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817km (508 mile) land border. Tensions exploded into a deadly five-day conflict in July – the worst fighting between the two countries in over a decade – that killed at least... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327053/thai-pm-proposes-referendum-revoke-cambodia-border-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327053/thai-pm-proposes-referendum-revoke-cambodia-border-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:13:43 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr is set to begin a state visit to Cambodia on Sunday in a bid to revitalise bilateral relations and address shared challenges such as transnational crime, in what analysts say is a platform for both countries to realise their untapped trade opportunities. Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos are scheduled to be in Cambodia until Tuesday for a three-day visit, following an invitation from King Norodom Sihamoni. The visit is seen as a reciprocal... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324602/why-cambodia-highly-important-philippines-marcos-eyes-trade-anti-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324602/why-cambodia-highly-important-philippines-marcos-eyes-trade-anti-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall It begins with a knock at the door in Phnom Penh: police officers asking about a son, sister or cousin living thousands of miles away – and warning the family to make them stop. Cambodian dissidents who thought they had found safety in Japan are still facing threats delivered not to their own doors, but to the homes of loved ones left behind, according to a new Human Rights Watch report. The NGO’s Tokyo office said on Tuesday that nearly all of the 23 Cambodian nationals it interviewed in Japan... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324174/exiled-cambodians-japan-silenced-threats-loved-ones-back-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324174/exiled-cambodians-japan-silenced-threats-loved-ones-back-home?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s protracted political crisis has taken another messy turn as the conservative establishment, seeking to break a parliamentary deadlock after the ousting of yet another prime minister, reaches out to the very reformists it once sidelined. The People’s Party, whose bold pro-democracy agenda electrified voters at the last general election but unnerved the country’s elite, now seemingly holds the keys to the country’s next government. The ruling Pheu Thai party, meanwhile, was on Tuesday... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324027/thailands-next-pm-will-pro-democracy-peoples-party-reformists-decide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324027/thailands-next-pm-will-pro-democracy-peoples-party-reformists-decide?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 07:38:35 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s constitutional court dismissed Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister on Friday for breaching ethics in a call with Cambodia’s former leader, a ruling that tips the country into uncertainty and lands a hammer blow to the ambitions of her political dynasty. Paetongtarn, 39, the daughter of divisive but influential billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, becomes the second leader in two years from the Pheu Thai-led coalition to be removed for an ethics breach by the same bench. The nine-judge... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323640/thai-court-ousts-suspended-pm-paetongtarn-shinawatra-over-leaked-cambodia-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323640/thai-court-ousts-suspended-pm-paetongtarn-shinawatra-over-leaked-cambodia-call?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 08:51:12 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s Constitutional Court will decide whether to remove prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office for breaching ethics later on Friday, a ruling that threatens the survival of her family’s political dynasty and could unleash fresh chaos on the turbulent kingdom. It is another make or break day in court for the Shinawatra family, which has been hugely influential in Thai politics for over two decades, but has faced coups and court rulings driven by the conservative... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323505/make-or-break-time-thailands-shinawatra-clan-paetongtarn-faces-removal-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323505/make-or-break-time-thailands-shinawatra-clan-paetongtarn-faces-removal-office?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodian parliamentarians have passed legislation allowing people who collude with foreign countries to be stripped of citizenship – a law that rights groups fear will be used to banish dissent. All 120 lawmakers in attendance at the National Assembly session, including Prime Minister Hun Manet, voted unanimously to approve the bill on Monday. Human rights monitors have long accused Cambodia’s government of using draconian laws to stifle opposition and legitimate political debate. A coalition... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3323025/cambodia-passes-controversial-citizenship-law-sparking-global-rights-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3323025/cambodia-passes-controversial-citizenship-law-sparking-global-rights-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 04:29:25 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s cabinet has approved the hiring of 10,000 Sri Lankan workers as it tries to address a labour shortage caused by Cambodian workers returning home in the wake of a deadly border conflict between the two countries, a Thai senior official said on Tuesday. Thailand’s ageing population and shrinking workforce have forced it to rely on at least 3 million registered foreign labourers across the agriculture, construction, and manufacturing sectors, data from the International Labour... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3322398/thailand-hire-10000-sri-lankan-workers-amid-cambodian-exodus-after-deadly-border-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3322398/thailand-hire-10000-sri-lankan-workers-amid-cambodian-exodus-after-deadly-border-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 10:59:10 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire deal on Thursday aimed at de-escalating a deadly border conflict, agreeing to maintain their current troop deployments along their shared frontier and to prevent any “unprovoked firing” by either side. The deal, finalised after four days of intensive meetings in Kuala Lumpur, builds on a truce established by the leaders of both countries last week. The truce follows five days of fighting that killed at least 43 people and displaced over 300,000 on both... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321112/deadly-thai-cambodia-border-conflict-ends-new-ceasefire-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321112/deadly-thai-cambodia-border-conflict-ends-new-ceasefire-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:34:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand approved the purchase of four Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets on Tuesday, the air force said, a week after reaching a ceasefire in deadly border clashes with Cambodia. The US$600 million agreement for the Saab JAS 39 Gripens was first announced in June as part of a long-term plan to modernise the air force’s combat capabilities. During five days of clashes with Cambodia that left more than 40 people dead, Thailand used its fleet of F-16s to strike military targets across the border. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320828/us-f-16s-lose-out-thai-air-force-seals-us600-million-deal-swedish-gripen-jets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320828/us-f-16s-lose-out-thai-air-force-seals-us600-million-deal-swedish-gripen-jets?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 09:31:53 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand has imposed a nationwide ban on drone flights for at least two weeks over fears that neighbouring Cambodia could use them to monitor troop movements or military facilities, warning tourists of fines of more than US$1,200 and even jail time if they flout the rule. The order, issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, comes as tensions remain high despite a ceasefire agreement reached last Monday that ended several days of fighting along a contested stretch of the Thai-Cambodian... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320660/thailand-bans-drones-over-cambodia-tensions-tourists-warned-jail-and-fines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320660/thailand-bans-drones-over-cambodia-tensions-tourists-warned-jail-and-fines?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 06:40:47 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones For days, the piercing whistle of Cambodian rockets sent 69-year-old Kantapong Prakaew scrambling for cover in his makeshift bunker – a frail fortification against the conflict in Thailand’s Surin province. He is one of the few elderly residents who refused to flee, holding out as artillery fire ravaged the fields and wrecked the livelihoods of a long underdeveloped region. Across the borderlands, the recent flare-up of violence between Thailand and Cambodia has claimed dozens of lives and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3320489/thailands-conflict-hit-economy-running-out-luck?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3320489/thailands-conflict-hit-economy-running-out-luck?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Aug 2025 04:00:22 +0000 C. Uday Bhaskar C. Uday Bhaskar The unconditional ceasefire agreed to by Thailand and Cambodia that came into force from midnight on Monday is to be cautiously welcomed, and current Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) chair Malaysia is to be commended for enabling this truce. China and the United States also played a role in nudging the two Southeast Asian neighbours to end the unexpected escalation in a military conflict over a disputed border that saw the use of fighter jets, drones, tanks and artillery guns. The... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3320083/cambodia-thailand-ceasefire-welcome-festering-grievances-must-be-tackled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3320083/cambodia-thailand-ceasefire-welcome-festering-grievances-must-be-tackled?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com 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 The recent escalation at the Thai-Cambodian border, marked by deadly clashes, air strikes and the evacuation of over 130,000 civilians, is a grave reminder that Southeast Asia’s unresolved tensions... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3319815/whats-really-stake-between-thailand-and-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3319815/whats-really-stake-between-thailand-and-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 03:30:13 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi Five days of bloodshed on the Thailand-Cambodian border have revealed the limits of Asean’s influence and thrust Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s controversial choice of advisers into the centre of a diplomatic storm. A smiling Anwar announced an unconditional ceasefire on Monday after days of gunfights, artillery barrages and air strikes had left at least 38 people dead and displaced more than 300,000 people on both sides of the border. Each government has accused the other of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319925/thai-cambodian-militaries-meet-finesse-ceasefire-amid-claims-truce-violations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319925/thai-cambodian-militaries-meet-finesse-ceasefire-amid-claims-truce-violations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 03:15:27 +0000 Aidan Jones,Joseph Sipalan Aidan Jones,Joseph Sipalan The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia agreed to end their bloody border conflict at midnight on Monday, after talks in Kuala Lumpur that followed mounting pressure from China and the United States, which warned both nations the fighting risked derailing trade negotiations. At least 36 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since Thursday, when a long-simmering territorial dispute boiled over into open conflict along the nations’ shared frontier. More than 300,000 people in both... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319807/malaysia-hosts-thailand-cambodia-peace-talks-suspicion-lingers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319807/malaysia-hosts-thailand-cambodia-peace-talks-suspicion-lingers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 05:25:13 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The Association of Southeast Asian Nations stands, above all, for the preservation of peace among its 10 members. Now Asean’s fundamental principles of consensus and non-interference in one another’s affairs are being put to the test by deadly clashes along a disputed border between Thailand and Cambodia. Thailand’s acting leader has not ruled out an escalation into war. The challenge to Asean’s credibility and implications for regional stability have prompted deepening international concern,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3319691/aseans-credibility-stake-thai-cambodia-border-clash-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3319691/aseans-credibility-stake-thai-cambodia-border-clash-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Jul 2025 22:45:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse When the first salvo of Cambodian artillery screamed across her village, Thai seamstress Pornpan Sooksai’s thoughts turned to her five beloved cats: Peng, Kung Fu, Cherry, Taro and Batman. “I suddenly heard a loud bang,” the 46-year-old told said. “Then our neighbour shouted, ‘They’ve started shooting!’ So everyone scrambled to grab their things.” Nearly 140,000 people have been evacuated from the Thai frontier, fleeing with the belongings dearest to them, as the country trades deadly strikes... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3319626/thai-cambodia-conflict-woman-save-cats-braving-artillery-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3319626/thai-cambodia-conflict-woman-save-cats-braving-artillery-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 12:20:09 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand declared martial law along parts of its border on Friday after a second day of fierce clashes with Cambodia, which have sparked warnings of a slide into a wider war. So far, at least 16 people have died, and around 138,000 individuals have been displaced. Apichart Sapprasert, commander of the military’s Border Defense Command in the provinces of Chanthaburi and Trat, said in a statement “martial law is now in effect” in seven districts of Chanthaburi and one district of Trat. A... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319538/thailand-cambodia-border-war-drives-mass-exodus-attacks-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319538/thailand-cambodia-border-war-drives-mass-exodus-attacks-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 04:07:56 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As deadly clashes erupt along Thailand and Cambodia’s disputed border, questions are resurfacing over whether the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) can live up to its mandate to preserve peace among its members. Analysts say the escalating violence is also exposing the bloc’s limited tools for intervention. While some urge urgent mediation and a return to dialogue, others argue Asean has been sidelined from the outset – raising concerns that nationalist politics and diplomatic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319504/can-asean-mediate-thailand-cambodia-tensions-growing-violence-tests-peace-mandate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319504/can-asean-mediate-thailand-cambodia-tensions-growing-violence-tests-peace-mandate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 15:49:11 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodia on Thursday as a simmering border dispute erupted into open conflict, with soldiers on both sides exchanging fire and Cambodian troops unleashing rockets that killed at least 12 Thais, most of them civilians. Both countries traded blame for the clashes, which began at the flashpoint Ta Moan Thom temple in a disputed zone near Thailand’s eastern frontier with Cambodia. With their long shared border closed, the fighting escalated through Thursday... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319369/thailand-cambodia-trade-blame-clashes-erupt-border-area?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319369/thailand-cambodia-trade-blame-clashes-erupt-border-area?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 04:11:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador on Wednesday and recalled its own envoy, after a Thai soldier lost a leg in a landmine blast as a border dispute festers. Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said an investigation by the Thai military found evidence that Cambodia had laid new landmines in the disputed area. A long-running territorial row in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, boiled over into military clashes in May that left... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3319333/thailand-expels-cambodian-envoy-after-soldier-loses-leg-blast-border-landmine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3319333/thailand-expels-cambodian-envoy-after-soldier-loses-leg-blast-border-landmine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 14:33:34 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand has accused Cambodia of planting new landmines on the Thai side of the shared border, in an escalation of a bitter territorial dispute between the two countries. Three Thai soldiers were injured when they stepped on a landmine during a routine patrol along an established route within Thai territory on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late on Sunday. The mines were not of a type used by Thailand and were recently laid in a “blatant violation of international... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318981/thailand-condemns-cambodia-planting-landmines-after-3-soldiers-injured-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318981/thailand-condemns-cambodia-planting-landmines-after-3-soldiers-injured-border?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 07:10:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Rats may send some squealing, but in Cambodia, teams of the not-so-little critters have become indispensable in helping specialists detect landmines that have killed and maimed thousands in the Southeast Asian country. The African giant pouched rats, which can grow up to 45cm (18 inches) and weigh up to 1.5kg (3.3 pounds), are on the front line, making their way nimbly across fields to signal to their handlers when they get a whiff of TNT, used in most landmines and explosive ordnance. “While... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318426/cambodias-mine-detecting-rats-prove-vital-landmine-clearance-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318426/cambodias-mine-detecting-rats-prove-vital-landmine-clearance-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 08:27:22 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Cambodia’s government has given itself the legal means to strip dissidents and dual nationals of citizenship, a step denounced as “draconian” by critics who say the government is exploiting border tensions with Thailand to silence opposition and cement its grip on power. The National Assembly unanimously passed a constitutional amendment last Friday enabling Phnom Penh to strip citizenship from lifelong Cambodians, dual nationals and naturalised citizens found guilty of conspiring with foreign... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318378/revoking-citizenship-cambodias-new-weapon-against-dissent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318378/revoking-citizenship-cambodias-new-weapon-against-dissent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 05:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s anti-corruption body will investigate suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for alleged ethics violations over a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s influential former leader Hun Sen, an official and local media said on Monday. The investigation will be another blow to the beleaguered government of 38-year-old Paetongtarn, Thailand’s youngest premier, who the Constitutional Court suspended from duty earlier this month over the same issue. The leaked June 15 call, during which... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318180/suspended-thai-pm-paetongtarn-faces-ethics-investigation-over-leaked-phone-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318180/suspended-thai-pm-paetongtarn-faces-ethics-investigation-over-leaked-phone-call?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 12:15:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia’s military will begin conscripting civilians next year, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Monday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. Cambodia’s parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with neighbouring Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318126/cambodias-hun-manet-announces-mandatory-military-service-amid-thai-border-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318126/cambodias-hun-manet-announces-mandatory-military-service-amid-thai-border-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 07:03:06 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A man who embarked on a 30km (19-mile) protest walk barefoot and splashed fish sauce on a portrait of Cambodia’s Senate leader and former prime minister Hun Sen outside the country’s embassy in Bangkok was briefly detained but later released by Thai police. Angered by Cambodia’s actions during a recent border clash with Thailand, 69-year-old retired tennis coach Thewa Sritawan walked for almost five hours from his home in Pak Kret, in neighbouring Nonthaburi province, at dawn on Monday to carry... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317586/man-thailand-pours-fish-sauce-image-cambodias-hun-sen-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317586/man-thailand-pours-fish-sauce-image-cambodias-hun-sen-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 13:03:11 +0000 Agencies Agencies Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday withdrew a draft law for casinos and entertainment complexes, citing the need for more time to engage with the public and create more understanding about the issue. The government earlier set its sights on building a major gaming industry that will complement tourism, a key economic driver for the country, with a draft bill to legalise gambling slated to be deliberated on by parliament on Wednesday. But the suspension of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317410/thailand-delays-controversial-casino-legalisation-bill-amid-pm-suspension-political-instability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317410/thailand-delays-controversial-casino-legalisation-bill-amid-pm-suspension-political-instability?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 10:18:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The suspension of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has reignited debate over the Constitutional Court’s growing influence in Thailand’s democratic system, amid concerns electoral mandates risk being curtailed by judicial and conservative power centres. While the court’s decision on Tuesday to suspend Paetongtarn over a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen was framed as a procedural response to an ethics complaint, observers say it fits into a broader trend of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317024/how-powerful-thailands-constitutional-court-pms-suspension-reignites-influence-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317024/how-powerful-thailands-constitutional-court-pms-suspension-reignites-influence-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 12:34:37 +0000