Thai ruling party courts voters by vowing to end Cambodia conflict, close scam hubs

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 […]

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China keeps pressure on Cambodia to target cross-border fraud and trafficking

By Zhao Ziwen Beijing is urging Phnom Penh to broaden its crackdown on Cambodia’s online fraud industry, keeping up pressure following the arrest and extradition to China of alleged fraud kingpin Chen Zhi. In a meeting with Phnom Penh’s interior and foreign ministers, Chinese ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin said criminal acts of online fraud, […]

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Why US is splurging US$45 million on Thai-Cambodian border war amid cuts in aid funding

By Sam Beltran Washington’s recent offer of US$45 million in funding to reinforce the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire is a sign that the US is scrambling to regain the upper hand over China in mediating the rift between the Southeast Asian neighbours, according to analysts. Announcing the funding on Friday, US Assistant Secretary of State for East […]

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Cambodia says Chen Zhi’s extradition to China ‘not the end’ of scam centre crackdown

Cambodia’s arrest of alleged scam centre kingpin Chen Zhi and his extradition to China is “not the end” of ‍the Southeast Asian nation’s battle to stamp out transborder crimes, its foreign minister said. Last week’s surprise arrest of Chinese-born Chen is a key step in an until now fragmented international campaign targeting sophisticated scam networks […]

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Thailand says Cambodia violated truce with cross-border ‘accident’

Thailand accused Cambodia of violating a 10-day-old truce today (6 January), saying cross-border mortar fire wounded a soldier, while Phnom Penh said a “pile of garbage” exploded, injuring two of its own troops. A decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian nations erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing […]

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Why Philippines as Asean chair may leave Thai-Cambodian peace problem to US, China

By Sam Beltran The Philippines as Asean chair for 2026 will have to decide how much to intervene in the Thailand-Cambodia row. However, observers warn that the bar for the bloc in conflict-resolution “is not very high”. Analysts expect flare-ups throughout the year between the Southeast Asian neighbours due to long-standing historical differences, despite attempts […]

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Cambodia demands Thailand withdraw troops, week into border truce

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia called on neighboring Thailand on Saturday to pull out its forces from areas Phnom Penh claims as its own, one week since a truce halted deadly clashes along their disputed border. The decades-old dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbors erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing […]

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Thailand delays release ‍of Cambodian troops over alleged truce breaches

Thailand has said it is delaying the transfer of 18 captured Cambodian soldiers amid the Southeast Asian nations’ simmering border conflict due to alleged breaches of a renewed truce agreement, as the ceasefire passed the 72-hour mark that was supposed to trigger their release. Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said on Tuesday that Bangkok […]

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Cambodia says Thailand escalated strikes during border talks

PHNEM PENG: Cambodia accused Thailand on Friday of intensifying its bombardment of disputed border areas, even as officials from the two countries attend a multi-day meeting aimed at negotiating an end to deadly clashes. The neighbors’ long-standing border conflict reignited this month, shattering an earlier truce and killing more than 40 people, according to official […]

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