PHNOM PENH: Cambodia and Thailand traded accusations of fresh clashes along their border on Wednesday, after Bangkok said it was pausing the implementation of a US-backed peace deal.
Five days of hostilities erupted between Thailand and Cambodia this summer, killing 43 people and displacing around 300,000 before a truce backed by US President Donald Trump took effect.
However, Thailand on Monday paused implementation of a follow-on deal to wind down hostilities, claiming a blast from a newly laid land mine had wounded four of its soldiers.
Just two days later, officials on both sides have reported gunfire across the boundary between Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province and Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province.
“Thai soldiers opened fire on civilians,” Cambodian information minister Neth Pheaktra said, citing a toll from local authorities that reported five wounded.
Royal Thai Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said Cambodian soldiers “fired shots into Thai territory” around 4:00 p.m. (0900 GMT) and that its troops “took cover and fired warning shots in response.”
“The incident lasted about 10 minutes before calm was restored,” he said in a statement. “No Thai casualties were reported.”
Cambodia’s information ministry shared images and video which it alleged showed wounded civilians, including one man being treated in an ambulance with a bloodied leg.
AFP was not able to verify the provenance of the images.
‘I am so frightened’
Cambodian villager Hul Malis said by phone that gunfire from across the border had wounded at least three people in her area.
“They just shot at us. We did nothing,” she said. “I am so frightened, I am running away now.”
Her husband, Thong Kimleang, said the Thai military “fired a lot of shots” for around 15 minutes.
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centers on a century-old disagreement over their borders mapped during France’s colonial rule in the region, with both sides claiming a smattering of border temples.
Back in July, the region ignited with open combat along the frontier waged with fighter jets, missile strikes and ground troops.
A truce began on July 29 after intervention by Trump, as well as Chinese diplomats and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.
They signed a joint declaration last month, agreeing to withdraw heavy weapons and allowing ceasefire monitors access to the border.
While experts said the deal failed to adjudicate the core territorial dispute, Trump flew into Kuala Lumpur to oversee the pact he cited as evidence of his presidential peace-making abilities.
But the apparent fresh land mine blast and renewed clashes have thrown its future into doubt.
Thailand has already delayed the release of 18 captured Cambodian soldiers, a key plank of the joint declaration.
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Cambodia, Thailand trade accusations of fresh border clashes
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Cambodia, Thailand trade accusations of fresh border clashes
- Five days of hostilities erupted between Thailand and Cambodia this summer, killing 43 people
- The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centers on a century-old disagreement over their borders
White House steps up attacks on CNN
- Communications director Steven Cheung calls CNN cowardly for not inviting Trump adviser Stephen Miller to be interviewed
- On Wednesday, President Donald Trump accused a CNN journalist of being “an arm of the Democrat Party”
WASHINGTON: The White House on Thursday intensified its attacks on CNN, the news network at the center of a financial battle that President Donald Trump is tied up in politically and through family.
Echoing the president’s frequent anti-media barbs, senior members of his administration lashed out.
“CNN = Chicken News Network,” White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X Thursday, calling CNN cowardly for not inviting Trump adviser Stephen Miller to be interviewed “presumably because they are scared Stephen will school them.”
Vice President JD Vance then shared the post, adding: “If CNN wants to be a real news network it should feature important voices from our administration.”
A CNN spokesperson said Miller would be welcome back on the channel, Fox News reported Thursday.
“As a news organization, we make editorial decisions about the stories we cover and when, and that depends on the news priorities of the day. We look forward to having Stephen on again in the future as the news warrants,” the CNN spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The harshest attack on CNN from the Trump administration came from an official White House account called Rapid Response 47, which went after Kaitlan Collins, one of the network’s most prominent correspondents, saying she “is not a journalist. She is a mouthpiece for the Democrat Party.”
On Wednesday, the president confronted another CNN journalist similarly, and said “you know you work for the Democrats, don’t you? You are basically an arm of the Democrat Party.”
CNN has yet to comment publicly on those allegations. In the past, the network has responded to criticism of political bias by asserting that it is committed to objective journalism and fairness.
CNN for sale
Founded in 1980 to provide global television news coverage, CNN is currently owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the media conglomerate at the heart of a bidding war between streaming giant Netflix and Paramount Skydance, the latter of which is led by CEO David Ellison, son of Trump ally Larry Ellison.
The president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has joined Paramount’s bid through his investment firm.
And Trump has already indicated he intends to get involved in the government’s decision to approve or block a sale, which would typically involve the Justice Department.
Under Paramount’s offer, CNN would fall into Ellison’s hands.
Under the Netflix deal, Warner Bros. Discovery would sell off CNN and other cable news properties separately before closing the sale of its studio and streaming operations.
The 79-year-old president said Wednesday he wants to ensure CNN gets new ownership as part of the Warner Bros. Discovery sale, seeming to favor a Paramount purchase.
“I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don’t think that should be allowed to continue. I think CNN should be sold along with everything else,” Trump said.
Echoing the president’s frequent anti-media barbs, senior members of his administration lashed out.
“CNN = Chicken News Network,” White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X Thursday, calling CNN cowardly for not inviting Trump adviser Stephen Miller to be interviewed “presumably because they are scared Stephen will school them.”
Vice President JD Vance then shared the post, adding: “If CNN wants to be a real news network it should feature important voices from our administration.”
A CNN spokesperson said Miller would be welcome back on the channel, Fox News reported Thursday.
“As a news organization, we make editorial decisions about the stories we cover and when, and that depends on the news priorities of the day. We look forward to having Stephen on again in the future as the news warrants,” the CNN spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The harshest attack on CNN from the Trump administration came from an official White House account called Rapid Response 47, which went after Kaitlan Collins, one of the network’s most prominent correspondents, saying she “is not a journalist. She is a mouthpiece for the Democrat Party.”
On Wednesday, the president confronted another CNN journalist similarly, and said “you know you work for the Democrats, don’t you? You are basically an arm of the Democrat Party.”
CNN has yet to comment publicly on those allegations. In the past, the network has responded to criticism of political bias by asserting that it is committed to objective journalism and fairness.
CNN for sale
Founded in 1980 to provide global television news coverage, CNN is currently owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the media conglomerate at the heart of a bidding war between streaming giant Netflix and Paramount Skydance, the latter of which is led by CEO David Ellison, son of Trump ally Larry Ellison.
The president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has joined Paramount’s bid through his investment firm.
And Trump has already indicated he intends to get involved in the government’s decision to approve or block a sale, which would typically involve the Justice Department.
Under Paramount’s offer, CNN would fall into Ellison’s hands.
Under the Netflix deal, Warner Bros. Discovery would sell off CNN and other cable news properties separately before closing the sale of its studio and streaming operations.
The 79-year-old president said Wednesday he wants to ensure CNN gets new ownership as part of the Warner Bros. Discovery sale, seeming to favor a Paramount purchase.
“I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don’t think that should be allowed to continue. I think CNN should be sold along with everything else,” Trump said.
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