Thai court dismisses prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra

Daughter of former PM Thaksin accused of failing to protect country’s interests over leaked phone call with Cambodia’s leader

Thailand’s constitutional court has dismissed Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her position as prime minister, ruling that as the country’s leader she violated ethical rules during a phone call with Cambodia’s senate president, Hun Sen.

The ruling, which threatens to usher in a fresh period of instability in the country, means she immediately loses her job, which she had held for about a year. The 39-year-old had already been suspended from her duties on 1 July after a recording was leaked of the phone conversation, in which they discussed a simmering border dispute between the neighbouring countries.

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Thailand former PM cleared of royal insult charge but Shinawatra dynasty’s fate still hangs in balance

Lese-majesty case against Thaksin Shinawatra is dismissed, but his daughter Paetongtarn will hear next week if she will be removed as prime minster

A criminal court in Thailand has dismissed a case accusing former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of defaming the monarchy, the first of three court cases that could decide the fate of one of the country’s prominent political families.

Thaksin was accused of insulting the monarchy during an interview with South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo in 2015.

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Three Thai soldiers injured by landmine on border with Cambodia, army says

Thai military accuses neighbouring country of planting concealed weapons in violation of international law

Three Thai soldiers were injured on Saturday after one tripped a landmine in territory along its frontier with Cambodia, Thailand’s army has said as it accused the neighbouring country of planting concealed weapons in violation of international law.

The incident, in which a Thai sergeant major suffered severe injuries, came two days after the countries reasserted their commitment to a ceasefire that ended a brief but intense period of fighting. Cambodia denies the accusation.

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Thailand accuses Cambodia of violating fragile ceasefire for a second time

Cambodia has previously denied breaking the truce, which came into effect on Tuesday after five days of violent clashes

Thailand has accused Cambodia of a “flagrant violation” of a truce to end cross-border fighting, claiming Cambodian troops launched an overnight attack on the frontier.

The neighbours agreed a ceasefire starting Tuesday after five days of clashes killed at least 43 people on both sides, as a longstanding dispute over contested border regions boiled over into open combat across the 800km frontier.

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The bitter feud fuelling the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia

Animosity between former friends and political patriarchs Hun Sen and Thaksin Shinawatra is exacerbating clashes

The dispute over Thailand and Cambodia’s contested border, which dates back more than a century to disagreements over colonial-era maps, has broken into conflict before. But the most recent clashes, which erupted on Thursday, have been fuelled by another factor: a bitter feud between two powerful political patriarchs.

Hun Sen, 72, and Thaksin Shinawatra, 76, former leaders of Cambodia and Thailand, were once such close friends they reportedly called one another brothers. Hun Sen has, over the years, supported Thaksin’s family during their long-running power struggle with Thailand’s military. Thaksin and his sister Yingluck stayed at Hun Sen’s home after they were ousted from power, while Hun Sen appointed Thaksin an economic adviser to the Cambodian government. Thaksin frequently visited Cambodia, and Hun Sen was the first foreign guest to see the former Thai leader after he returned home after more than 15 years in self-imposed exile.

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Cambodia calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’ with Thailand as deadly clashes enter a third day

Thousands of people have been evacuated from either side of the border, while fighting has left at least 32 people dead

Cambodia wants an “immediate ceasefire” with Thailand, the country’s envoy to the United Nations has said, with Bangkok also signalling an openness to talks after two days of deadly clashes that have left 32 dead and thousands displaced.

“Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire – unconditionally – and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute,” said UN ambassador Chhea Keo, after a closed meeting of the Council attended by Cambodia and Thailand.

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Thailand-Cambodia border dispute: 130,000 Thai civilians evacuated amid second day of clashes

Thailand PM warns cross-border clashes ‘could develop into war’ as fighting spreads to 12 locations

Thailand has evacuated more than 130,000 people along the Cambodian border, it said on Friday, as the country’s leader warned cross-border clashes could develop into war.

Clashes that began on Thursday resumed early on Friday, the Thai military reported, as the two countries fought in their bloodiest military clashes in over a decade.

Fighting had taken place in 12 locations along the disputed border, a Thai military official – an expansion of the conflict that erupted a day earlier.

“This present incident of aggression is escalating and could develop to the stage of war,” Thailand’s acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters in Bangkok. “However, right now we are still at altercation level, battling with heavy weapons. What we have done so far are to protect our land and sovereignty of our nation.”

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British teenager Bella Culley to be held in Georgia until September drugs trial

Tbilisi judge rejects lawyer’s offer of plea agreement for release of pregnant Teesside teenager, now 19, at hearing

The British teenager Bella Culley is to be held in a Georgian prison for at least five more weeks as she awaits trial on drug-smuggling charges, a court in Tbilisi has ordered.

Culley, the great-granddaughter of a former Labour MP, was arrested on arrival at the city’s airport in May. Georgian prosecutors said she was carrying a large amount of illegal drugs in luggage she brought with her from Thailand.

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Australian tourist found dead in Thai hotel room was on phone when he died, police say

The 21-year-old was discovered by housekeeping staff on holiday island Phuket

An Australian tourist has been found dead in a Thai hotel room, one day before his flight home.

The 21-year-old was discovered by housekeeping staff at a hotel on holiday island Phuket on Wednesday.

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Thailand recalls Cambodia ambassador after landmine injures soldier on border

Thai foreign ministry says landmines along disputed border newly deployed as it downgrades diplomatic relations

Thailand has recalled its ambassador to Cambodia and will expel Cambodia’s ambassador, the ruling Pheu Thai party said on Wednesday after a landmine incident that injured a Thai soldier along the disputed border between the two countries.

The Thai foreign ministry has lodged a formal protest with Cambodia, saying the landmines found in the area were newly deployed and had not been encountered during previous patrols, the party said on social media.

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Rubio in bind as he seeks to reassure south-east Asia, even as it faces Trump tariffs

Rubio meets Chinese counterpart at gathering, as questions remain about US trade polices and commitment to region

Even as they face among the most punitive tariffs globally, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has sought to reassure south-east Asian countries of Washington’s commitment to the region, saying they may get “better” trade deals than the rest of the world.

In his first official visit to Asia, Rubio met the foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Malaysia on Thursday, telling his counterparts that the US had “no intention of abandoning” the region.

His visit came days after Donald Trump renewed his threat to impose severe tariffson many south-east Asian countries if they did not strike deals by 1 August.

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Thailand’s PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended over leaked Hun Sen call

Paetongtarn could be heard calling former Cambodian leader ‘uncle’ and criticising Thai commander in recording

Thailand’s constitutional court has suspended the prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, while it investigates alleged ethical violations relating to a leaked phone call.

The court announced on Tuesday that it would consider a petition filed by 36 senators calling for Paetongtarn’s dismissal, accusing her of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards in violation of the constitution.

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Protesters in Bangkok demand resignation of prime minister over leaked phone call

Paetongtarn Shinawatra has angered Thai nationalists, who accuse the Thai leader of kowtowing to Cambodia

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Bangkok to demand the resignation of Thailand’s prime minister over a leaked phone call with a former Cambodian leader.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra has faced growing pressure over her handling of a border dispute with neighbouring Cambodia that flared in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief exchange of fire.

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Thai PM apologises over leaked call with Hun Sen as crisis threatens to topple government

In phone call, Paetongtarn Shinawatra discusses border dispute with former Cambodian leader and calls him ‘uncle’

Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, apologised after a leaked phone conversation with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen prompted public anger and threatened the collapse of her government.

In the leaked call, Paetongtarn – daughter of the populist former leader Thaksin Shinawatra – discusses an ongoing border dispute with Hun Sen, who is known to be a friend of her family.

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Cambodia bans fruit imports and soap operas from Thailand as border dispute sours

The border dispute has led to a surge in nationalist sentiment and tit-for-tat actions by both governments

Cambodia has banned imports of fruit and vegetables from Thailand, the latest escalation in a series of retaliatory actions sparked by a long-running border dispute between the South-east Asian neighbours.

Tensions flared in May when troops briefly exchanged fire at a contested area of the border, killing a Cambodian soldier.

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Otters posing for selfies in Japanese cafes may be linked to illegal trade, experts warn

The DNA of rare small-clawed otters in captivity in Japan has been matched to wild populations in poaching hotspots in Thailand

Posing for selfies on the laps of excited visitors, the otters of Tokyo’s animal cafes have learned to play their part in their online stardom. In thousands of social media videos, the aquatic mammals wriggle through the outstretched hands of adoring customers who reward their attention with food.

But the booming demand has raised major concerns among conservationists, with a study published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice linking the small-clawed otters in animal cafes in Japanese cities with wild populations in poaching hotspots in Thailand.

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Body of Thai hostage retrieved from Gaza, says Israeli defence minister

Nattapong Pinta had been seized in the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack and killed, according to Israeli military

The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage, Nattapong Pinta, who had been held in Gaza since Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023, according to defence minister, Israel Katz. .

Pinta’s body was held by a Palestinian militant group called the Mujahideen Brigades, and was retrieved from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified.

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American academic held in Thailand charged with insulting monarchy

Paul Chambers detained under strict lese-majesty law, which can lead to 15 years in jail on a single charge

A prominent American academic has been detained in Thailand after being charged with insulting the monarchy, a rare case in which a foreign national has fallen foul of the country’s strict lese-majesty law.

Paul Chambers, who specialises in civil-military relations and democratisation in south-east Asia, was denied bail on Tuesday and is being held at Phitsanulok provincial prison in northern Thailand, his lawyers said.

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Myanmar healthcare facilities overwhelmed, WHO says, and scale of earthquake deaths and injuries ‘not fully understood’ – as it happened

World Health Organization issues flash appeal for $8m of emergency support amid frantic search for survivors

AFP has spoken to relatives anxiously waiting at the site of a collapsed building in Bangkok.

Daodee Paruay said she had been at the site for two days, hoping for a miracle. Her brother was an electrician working on site, and he is believed to be under the rubble. “We wait, we wait.” she said.

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Myanmar earthquake: woman trapped for days pulled alive from the rubble

Brief moment of relief as rescue workers carry a woman from the rubble of a hotel in Mandalay after a five-hour operation

A woman trapped beneath the remains of a hotel building for nearly 60 hours after a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar was pulled alive from the rubble on Monday, officials said, in a rare moment of hope for rescue teams scrambling to find survivors.

Rescuers, many of them unequipped volunteers, have spent days trying to free people from buildings collapsed following Friday’s huge earthquake, which killed more than 1,700 people in the country and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand.

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