Thai security forces clash with Cambodian protesters at disputed border

Thai security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets as they clashed with Cambodian protesters on Wednesday in a disputed border area. It’s the most significant escalation since they declared a ceasefire to end a deadly five-day conflict in July. Video: Thai security forces clash with Cambodian protesters at disputed borderThe clash took place at a disputed frontier settlement, which Thailand says is part of its Ban Nong Ya Kaew village in Sa Kaeo province, but Cambodia says is part of Prey Chan village in Bantheay Meanchey province. On Wednesday, Cambodia’s information minister Neth Pheaktra accused Thai officials of encroaching across the border, and said they used “tear gas, rubber bullets and noise-making devices against Cambodian civilians.” According to Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona, Thai forces used violence to suppress unarmed Cambodian civilians and monks who were protesting peacefully. Cambodian officials said more than two dozen Cambodians were injured in the clash. Thai Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree described the situation as a Cambodian mob encroaching on Thai territory, obstructing operations and destroying official property. He said Thai authorities regarded the incident as a provocation and an intentional violation of the ceasefire agreement. This image released by Agence Kampuchea Presse shows Thai soldiers carrying barbed wire in a disputed Thai-Cambodia border in Banteay Meanchey province, Sept. 17, 2025.(Agence Kampuchea Presse via AFP) On Wednesday, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet called for international intervention, urging pressure on Thailand to respect the ceasefire and fully adhere to Cambodia-Thailand agreements. The two nations’ competing territorial claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand has argued is inaccurate. The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded sovereignty to Cambodia over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which still riles many Thais. The court has since reaffirmed its judgement. In June, Cambodia proposed returning to the international court to sort out the border in the disputed areas, a proposal Thailand firmly rejected. With reporting by Pimuk Rakkanam, RFA Khmer, Reuters and AP. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

Read More

Analysis: Kim Jong Un’s daughter steps into ‘successor spotlight’

RFA Perspectives — North Korea’s Kim Jong-un recently visited Beijing with his daughter, Kim Ju Ae. South Korea’s intelligence agency suggests she may be stepping into the “successor spotlight.” Video: Kim Jong Un’s daughter could be North Korea successorMany expected Kim Ju Ae to appear at Beijing’s iconic sites, similar to how Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s son, Nikolai, appeared at China’s Tiananmen military parade 10 years ago. But that didn’t happen. During Kim Jong-un’s 54-hour stay, Kim Ju Ae was never seen at official events. According to the South Korean spy agency, she mainly stayed at the North Korean embassy, avoiding public exposure. Still, the agency believes Kim Ju Ae is a likely future leader. Reuters(North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his sister Kim Yo Jong attend a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Peace House at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, April 27, 2018. ) “I’ve always believed since we heard news about the daughter of Kim Jong-un, that being a member of this family with the Paektu lineage would be more important than the gender,” Jean H. Lee, a North Korea expert and Presidential Chair of the East-West Center. “And similarly, if you look at monarchies of the past in a very. I think male-dominated eras, countries that being a member of that family, whether you’re male or female, have been more important.” We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

Read More

Myanmar election results expected at end of January, official says

An official from the commission set up by Myanmar’s ruling military junta to oversee upcoming elections said Thursday that the results of the widely disputed poll will be available by the end of January. At a news conference in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, election officials said that six parties would run for nationwide seats, while another 51 others would compete in individual states or regions. The vote is scheduled to be held in three phases beginning on Dec. 28, with two weeks between each phase, officials said. The military announced the election regime in July, the first national vote since the 2021 coup that ousted Myanmar’s democratically elected government and plunged the country into civil war. It also set up an interim government with military chief Min Aung Hlaing retaining power as interim president. The military doesn’t control all of Myanmar. Vast swaths are administered by a range of armed militias, ethnic groups and pro-democracy fighters, some in open, armed conflict with the ruling junta. At the press conference, election council member Khin Maung Oo noted 63 areas “which have security risks.” “We will continue working until we can hold [the vote],” he said. The military has framed the election as a way to end the conflict. Critics have called the election a sham, saying the military would retain power regardless of the vote. However, criticism of the election is illegal in Myanmar. State-run media reported on Wednesday that a 36-year-old man in eastern Shan state was sentenced to seven years of hard labor for a Facebook post that contained surveillance video of a robbery and criticized the military junta for prioritizing the election over public safety. It was the first known conviction under a new law, enacted in July, that criminalized speech or actions that might disrupt the election or the tools used to conduct it. Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

Read More

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un arrives in Beijing for military parade

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, ahead of a massive Chinese military parade on Wednesday that will celebrate 80 years since the Japanese defeat that ended World War II. Kim and his daughter Kim Ju Ae arrived at around 4 p.m. on a green train bedecked with North Korean flags. They were met at the Beijing train station by Cai Qui, China’s fifth-highest ranked official, and foreign minister Wang Yi. It’s the North Korean leader’s second reported trip abroad in six years, and his first trip to China since 2019. The event at Tiananmen Square is expected to include troops marching in formation, aircraft flyovers, displays of military equipment and some 50,000 spectators. But many eyes will be on the VIP audience, where Kim is expected to rub shoulders with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, among others. While Kim has engaged bilaterally with Xi and Putin in recent months, this will be their first gathering together. Analysts say they’ll be looking for signs of strengthening ties among the three countries. Earlier on Tuesday, Xi met with Putin at the Great Hall of the People and then again at his residence. That followed a summit on Monday in which Xi and Putin met with leaders from more than 20 non-Western countries. Among them was Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, who talked with both Xi and Putin. Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse and Reuters. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

Read More
Thai natural gas project suspended after pipeline explosions in Myanmar

Myanmar’s ruling junta sets Dec. 28 election date as civil war rages

The military-backed election commission in Myanmar set Dec. 28 for the initial phase of long-promised elections, the first since the 2021 coup that overthrew the country’s last elected government and kicked off a still-raging civil war. Junta leadership nominally transferred power to an interim government last month in preparation for the elections. Last week, Min Aung Hlaing, the military chief and acting president, called for increased security to protect politicians and voters, warning of a rise in attacks on civil servants, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. International observers have framed the elections as a charade to keep Min Aung Hlaing and his generals in power. Critics point to a lack of free media in Myanmar, and that most officials in the last elected government, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi, have been arrested. U.N. reports detail a regime of torture inflicted on those the military has detained. It’s also unclear how a truly national election could take place in Myanmar. Control of the country splintered after the coup, with parts of the country held by bands of pro-democracy fighters or ethnic rebel groups, some of whom have pledged to block polls in their areas. “I don’t think the election will hold any significance for the people,” a 63-year-old citizen in the western state of Rakhine told Agence France-Presse. “I think this election is only being held to give power to military dictators until the world ends.” Meanwhile, clashes continue in Myanmar’s civil war, which has killed thousands, spawned rampant poverty, and left more than 3.5 million people displaced, nearly 40 percent of whom are children. On Sunday, at least 24 people were reportedly killed after the military bombed a hospital in Mawchi, a small town in Kayah state, the Associated Press reported. Includes reporting from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

Read More