US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Cambodia and Thailand are set to commence high-level talks in Malaysia, aiming to achieve an immediate ceasefire amid the escalating border clashes between the two nations.

“Cambodia and Thailand are scheduled to begin high-level talks in Malaysia shortly in hopes of achieving an immediate ceasefire. State Department officials are on the ground in Malaysia to assist these peace efforts. Both President Donald Trump and I remain engaged with our respective counterparts for each country and are monitoring the situation very closely. We want this conflict to end as soon as possible,” read a press statement issued by Rubio.

Meanwhile, Rubio on Sunday held separate telephonic conversations with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, urging both nations to de-escalate tensions immediately and agree to a ceasefire over the ongoing border dispute between the two countries.

“Secretary Rubio reiterated President Trump’s desire for peace and the importance of an immediate ceasefire. The United States is prepared to facilitate future discussions in order to ensure peace and stability between Thailand and Cambodia,” said US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. Thailand on Sunday responded to US President Donald Trump’s call for a ceasefire on the Thai-Cambodian border, saying that the country agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place but would like to see a sincere intention from the Cambodian side.

In a statement released early Sunday, the Thai Foreign Ministry confirmed that “Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai had a conversation with President Trump, who requested that Thailand and Cambodia agree to a ceasefire immediately.”

Phumtham told Trump that “Thailand agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place. However, Thailand would like to see sincere intentions from the Cambodian side,” said the statement. Phumtham asked Trump to convey to the Cambodian side that “Thailand wants to convene a bilateral dialogue as soon as possible to bring forth measures and procedures for the ceasefire and the eventual peaceful resolution of the conflict,” it added.

On the other hand, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Sunday reiterated Cambodia’s willingness for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” between the armed forces of Cambodia and Thailand. Clashes in the border areas between Cambodia and Thailand began on Thursday, with both sides accusing each other of violating international law.

–IANS

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The violent border clash broke out between Cambodia and Thailand on 24 July 2025, marking the most serious escalation in over a decade. The confrontation erupted near the Ta Muen Thom temple, leaving 12 dead, injuring dozens, and forcing mass evacuations in nearby areas.

According to Thai military sources, the fighting began in the early morning hours after Cambodian forces allegedly deployed drones for reconnaissance near Thai positions in Surin Province. Thai troops reportedly attempted to de-escalate, but by 8:20 AM, intense cross-border gunfire had begun.

At the center of this long-running conflict lies not just territorial claims, but ancient heritage sites most notably, the Preah Vihear temple, a revered 900-year-old Hindu shrine perched on a cliff in the Dangrek mountain range. Dedicated to Lord Shiva and built during the height of the Khmer Empire, Preah Vihear is considered sacred by both Cambodians and Thais.

Just 95 kilometers west, the 12th-century Ta Muen Thom temple, also dedicated to Shiva, sits near the current flashpoint. Together, these temples form part of a historical fault line one that has seen centuries of power struggles, now playing out in modern military skirmishes.

History Echoes: From Suryavarman to Rajendra Chola

It’s no coincidence that this flare-up comes as Southeast Asia quietly marks 1,000 years since Rajendra Chola’s naval expedition a campaign that once redrew the power dynamics of the region.

The roots of today’s dispute stretch back to the Khmer King Suryavarman I, under whose reign parts of the Preah Vihear complex were constructed. In the 11th century, Suryavarman faced resistance from the Tambralinga kingdom in what is now southern Thailand. Tambralinga, backed by the Sri Vijaya Empire, became a regional adversary.

At the same time, Rajendra Chola, ruler of the Chola Empire in southern India, had launched a maritime blitz against Sri Vijaya, disrupting its control across maritime Southeast Asia. Recognizing a strategic opportunity, Suryavarman I forged an alliance with Rajendra Chola.

This historic alignment shifted the balance of power. With Chola support, Suryavarman defeated his rivals. In a gesture of gratitude, he is said to have sent Rajendra Chola a magnificent war chariot a moment recorded in the Karandai Copper Plate inscriptions, which include Sanskrit verses praising this diplomatic and military collaboration.

Today, as bullets fly near the same temples those kings once built and fought over, the past and present collide. The Preah Vihear dispute may be framed as a modern territorial issue, but its roots lie deep in the region’s shared history of empire, religion, and power politics a history still unfolding on the border cliffs of Cambodia and Thailand.

 (This article is based on an X Thread By TS Krishnan) 

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A number of supermarkets in the UK removed coconuts and related goods from their shelves, after getting to know that they had been picked by ‘monkey labourers’ who had been exploited for this purpose. The monkeys had allegedly been ‘snatched’ from the wild and trained to pick coconuts, by a company in Thailand.

In a tweet earlier on Friday, the British Prime Minister’s fiancée Carrie Symonds, a conservationist, called on all supermarkets to boycott the products. Waitrose, Ocado, Co-op and Boots vowed to stop selling some goods following this revelation.

Over 100 pig-tailed macaques that had been held captive were released after the discovery of them having been used as  ‘coconut picking machines’. While male monkeys could pick over 1,100 coconuts in a day, the female ones’ count was relatively less.

PETA had discovered over 8 farms in Thailand that had bred monkeys for this purpose. It said it also discovered “monkey schools”, where the animals were trained to pick fruit, as well as ride bikes or play basketball for the entertainment of tourists. “The animals at these facilities – many of whom are illegally captured as babies – displayed stereotypic behaviour indicative of extreme stress,” PETA said in a statement.

It was also revealed that Thailand has reportedly started sterilising hundreds of monkeys in Lopburi province, which is famous for the macaque population, as the animals have been turning aggressive and hungry amid COVID-19 lockdown.

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The city project backed by China which has been mired under a lot of controversies is to be probed by Myanmar. The government of Myanmar has recently set up a tribunal team that would probe the project.

The project is being implemented by Yatai International Holdings group of China along with the BGF, the latter being reportedly supported by Myanmar’s military.

U Tin Myint, the Deputy Minister of Union Government Office in Naypyidaw on Monday stated that he had been selected to Chair the committee. This committee will investigate the Shwe Kokko city project which is 15 kms north of Myawaddy.

This project was started in the year 2017. It involved a small amount of 22.5 million dollars. This amount was allotted to construct 59 villas at Shwe Kokko. But, later on, it was reported that this project started to be carried out at a much higher scale as a ‘small international city’ than the one that was actually approved to be carried out. The company planned to construct casinos, hotels, airports, and tourism related spread over an area of 30,000 acres.

The project then got halted temporarily in 2019 as it breached investment regulations and allegations of illicit activity and lack of transparency propped up.

The Deputy Minister U Tin Myint said that Myanmar never approved any casino in the project as a part of it and this resulted in an investigation.

Media reports also cited that the project displaced many local families. The materials for the project were sourced from China or Thailand. Instead of utilizing the local workforce of Myanmar, Chinese workers have been brought in.

The Karen state has faced ethnic unrest with militant groups being active in this area.

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Thailand reported no new coronavirus cases on Monday, marking the second time since no cases were reported. This marks 21 days without local transmission of coronavirus, maintaining the country’s reported cases of 3,135 confirmed cases and 58 fatalities.

Any new cases that were detected were made to quarantine since the cases had been citizens who had returned from abroad.

Following this, the nationwide curfew was lifted on June 15, allowing establishments to function normally, mainly restaurants that supplied alcohol. Other establishments allowed to reopen on Monday were schools with fewer than 120 students, exhibition halls, music concerts, film productions, playgrounds, amusement parks, and sports competitions without spectators. Notably, pubs and bars are to remain closed.

Thailand was the first Asian country after China to have reported cases of coronavirus and has been considered a success story ever since, for having contained it.

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