Thailand

Acting Thai Premier Phumtham Wechayachai accuses Cambodia of ‘not acting in good faith’ ahead of crucial talks.

A meeting to secure a ceasefire following days of a deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is under way in Malaysia, says a Malaysian official.

Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet are holding ceasefire talks on Monday in Malaysia’s administrative capital of Putrajaya at the official residence of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the regional bloc ASEAN.

The talks between the leaders of the two warring Southeast Asian countries are aimed to halt fighting that has killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 270,000 from both sides of the Thailand-Cambodia border.

The ambassadors of the United States and China were also present at the meeting, the Malaysian official said on Monday, according to a report by the Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, clashes continue in several areas along Thailand’s disputed border with Cambodia for a fifth day.

In a post on X earlier on Monday, Hun said the purpose of the talks is to achieve an immediate ceasefire in the conflict with Thailand.

However, Phumtham, before departing Bangkok on Monday, told reporters: “We do not believe Cambodia is acting in good faith, based on their actions in addressing the issue. They need to demonstrate genuine intent, and we will assess that during the meeting.”

Thai army spokesperson Colonel Richa Suksuwanon told reporters earlier on Monday that fighting continues along the border, as gunfire could be heard at dawn in Samrong in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province, The Associated Press news agency reported.

On Sunday, Thailand said one person was killed and another injured after Cambodia fired a rocket in Sisaket province.

Thailand’s military also reported that Cambodian snipers were camping in one of the contested temples, and accused Phnom Penh of surging troops along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets.

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence spokeswoman Maly Socheata on Monday accused Thailand of deploying “a lot of troops” and firing “heavy weapons” into the Cambodian territory.

Socheata claimed that before dawn on Monday, the Thai military targeted areas near the ancient Ta Muen Thom and the Ta Kwai temples, which Cambodia claims are its territory but are being disputed by Thailand.

She also accused the Thai military of firing smoke bombs from aircraft over Cambodian territory and heavy weapons at its soldiers, adding that Cambodian troops “were able to successfully repel the attacks”.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Thailand’s border province of Surin, said the mediators have been “very reluctant” to acknowledge the holding of talks in the Malaysian capital.

“The Malaysian Foreign Ministry was incredibly nervous. Last week, they had said that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had brokered a peace deal only to be shot down very quickly by the Thai Foreign Ministry,” Cheng said.

Still, Cheng said a mounting death toll and the number of displaced people could give the two leaders the “motivation” to resolve the crisis peacefully.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday said US officials “are on the ground in Malaysia to assist these peace efforts”, while Anwar told domestic media he would focus on securing an “immediate ceasefire”.

The death toll on both sides now stands at 32, as fears grow of a larger conflict breaking out between the neighbours.

Cambodian officials have reported another 12 people killed as a result of the ongoing border dispute with Thailand, with the death toll on both sides now standing at 32, as fears grow that the Southeast Asian neighbours may become engulfed in an extended conflict.

Cambodian Ministry of National Defence spokesperson Maly Socheata told reporters on Saturday that seven more civilians and five soldiers were confirmed dead. One other Cambodian man was earlier reported killed when Thai rockets hit the Buddhist pagoda he was hiding in on Thursday.

At least 50 Cambodian civilians and more than 20 soldiers have also been injured, the spokesperson said.

Thailand has reported 13 civilians – including children – as well as six soldiers killed over the past two days of fighting. An additional 29 Thai soldiers and 30 civilians have also been wounded in Cambodian attacks.

Cambodian newspaper The Khmer Times, quoting officials in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, said about 20,000 residents have so far been evacuated from the country’s northern border with Thailand.

More than 138,000 people have also been evacuated from Thailand’s border regions, with about 300 evacuation centres opened, according to Thai officials. On Friday, Thailand declared martial law in eight districts along the border with Cambodia.

The decades-old conflict – centred around a contested section of the Thai-Cambodian border – re-erupted on Thursday after a landmine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers.

Tensions spilled over on Thursday with Thailand and Cambodia carrying out direct attacks on one another’s territory, with both sides accusing the other of opening fire first.

Thailand said the Cambodian military launched long-range rockets at civilian targets in the country, including a strike on a petrol station that killed at least six people.

The Thai military then scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia, including the reported strike on the Buddhist pagoda, which resulted in one civilian casualty.

Cambodia has accused Thailand of using a large number of cluster munitions – a controversial and widely condemned weapon – calling it a clear violation of international law.

Phumtham Wechayachai, Thailand’s acting prime minister, said on Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians, as well as damage caused to a hospital.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting focused on the clashes behind closed doors late on Friday in New York, but did not issue an official public statement after the meeting.

The Associated Press news agency, citing an unnamed council diplomat, reported that all 15 UNSC members called on the parties to de-escalate fighting, show restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman tells Al Jazeera direct talks with Cambodia are priority as deadly clashes continue.

Thailand has called for a peaceful resolution to deadly border fighting with Cambodia, saying it prefers to settle the matter through bilateral dialogue while leaving the door open to potential involvement from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) if necessary.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said on Friday that the situation on the ground had improved slightly although clashes had resulted in casualties. “The fighting is continuing since yesterday although the situation today seems to be a little bit better from yesterday,” he said.

Thailand has tried to reach out to the Cambodian government in the hopes of easing tensions, Nikorndej told Al Jazeera. “We have always insisted we want to resolve this matter peacefully through bilateral mechanisms. … Very unfortunately, the Cambodian side has not reacted positively.”

While Thailand insists it has the tools to resolve the issue bilaterally, it has not ruled out future mediation by regional partners. “Our doors have always been open to talks. … We are still waiting for positive reactions from the Cambodian side,” Nikorndej said.

On possible third-party mediation, he added: “It’s a bit too premature for me right now to say that we are ready for any mediation, … but if we are going to talk about anyone to step in and help, countries in ASEAN … would be best suited.”

Malaysia, which currently chairs ASEAN, has reached out to both sides. Nikorndej confirmed that Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has spoken to his Thai counterpart, acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, to discuss potential regional engagement.

At least 13 Thai civilians and one soldier have been killed and 45 people have been wounded, including women and children, as fighting continues along the disputed frontier. “We are defending our territorial integrity and the Thai people,” Nikorndej added. Cambodia has reported one death on its side.

Nikorndej said the Thai military came under direct fire, which contributed to the current escalation. In response, the government has opened evacuation shelters, deployed medical teams and distributed aid to civilians displaced by the clashes.

Cambodia has alleged that Thailand first opened fire on Thursday, igniting the fighting.

Thailand has evacuated at least 100,000 people from areas near its eastern border with Cambodia, as shelling and gunfire displace civilians, reviving memories of past conflicts. Cambodian officials said about 20,000 people have evacuated from the country’s northern border.

Cambodia first took the contentious border issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1963. In 2011, Cambodia again went to the ICJ in relation to the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The ICJ ruled in Cambodia’s favour and handed it control of the immediate area around the temple in 2013.

However, the court did not address any of the other disputed areas, especially those within the “Emerald Triangle”, a shared border region between Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, where troops also frequently clash.

Thailand has refused to acknowledge the ICJ’s jurisdiction in this issue. Tensions have simmered until this year’s acute escalation.

Desperate evacuees, huddled on plastic mats in a sports hall in Thailand, have described fleeing from thunderous artillery bombardments as heavy fighting has escalated between Thailand and Cambodia.

The worst fighting in more than a decade between the neighbouring countries has forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate from their homes across four Thai border provinces by Friday.

As artillery fire echoed on Thursday, thousands from northeastern Surin province abandoned their homes for makeshift shelters established in the town centre.

Nearly 3,000 people crowded the sports hall of Surindra Rajabhat University, packed onto rows of plastic mats covered with colourful blankets and hastily gathered possessions.

“I’m worried about our home, our animals, and the crops we’ve worked so hard on,” Thidarat Homhuan, 37, told the AFP news agency.

She evacuated with nine family members, including her 87-year-old grandmother who had just been released from hospital.

“That concern is still there. But being here does feel safer, since we’re further from the danger zone now. At least we’re safe,” she said.

Thidarat was babysitting at a local school when she heard what she described as “something like machinegun fire”, followed by heavy artillery thuds.

“It was chaos. The kids were terrified. I rushed to the school’s bunker,” she said.

Inside the shelter, evacuees slept alongside one another beneath the gym’s high ceiling, surrounded by electric fans humming and the quiet whispers of uncertainty.

Elderly residents lay wrapped in blankets, infants slept in cradles, while children played quietly. Pet cats rested in mesh crates near the public restroom.

This marks the first full activation of the university as a shelter, according to Chai Samoraphum, director of the university president’s office.

Classes were immediately cancelled, and within an hour, the campus transformed into a functioning evacuation centre.

Evacuees from four border districts were distributed across six locations throughout the campus.

“Most of them left in a hurry. Some have chronic health conditions but didn’t bring their medications, others only managed to grab a few belongings,” Chai told AFP.

The centre, with assistance from the provincial hospital, is providing care for those with chronic illnesses and offering mental health services for trauma victims, Chai explained.

The border fighting has killed at least 14 people in Thailand, including one soldier and civilians killed in a rocket strike near a Sisaket province petrol station, officials reported. One Cambodian has also been confirmed killed.

As fighting continues near the border, evacuees face uncertainty about when they can return home.

For now, the shelter provides safety and a place to await signals that it’s safe to “go back to normal life”, Thidarat said.

She already has a message for the authorities: “I want the government to take decisive action – do not wait until lives are lost.

“Civilians look up to the government for protection, and we rely on them deeply,” she said.

Across the border in Cambodia, about 20,000 residents have evacuated from the country’s northern border with Thailand, the Khmer Times news organisation said, quoting officials in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province.

Escalation of military exchanges could move towards war, Acting Thai PM Phumtham Wechayachai says.

The death toll from clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops has risen to 15 in Thailand and one in Cambodia, according to authorities, as more than 120,000 people living along both sides of the border separating the two countries flee the ongoing fighting.

Deadly fighting continued for a second day on Friday as both countries traded heavy artillery and rocket fire, the bloodiest military confrontation between the two Southeast Asian neighbours in more than a decade.

The escalation of military exchanges could move towards war, Acting Thai PM Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters on Friday. For now, the clashes have involved heavy weapons, he added.

The ongoing clashes have taken place in 12 locations along the disputed border, up from six the day before, a Thai military official said on Friday, indicating a widening of the fighting. Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a military spokesperson, told a press conference Cambodia had continued to use heavy weapons.

“Thai forces have responded with appropriate supporting fire in accordance with the tactical situation,” the Thai military said in an earlier statement.

Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health reported that at least 14 civilians and one soldier were killed in Thailand when fighting broke out on Thursday, and a local provincial official in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey border province told the Reuters news agency that one person was killed and five wounded in Thai attacks.

More than 30 Thai civilians and 15 soldiers were also injured, according to Thailand’s Health Ministry, while some 100,672 people from four Thai provinces bordering Cambodia have been moved to shelters, Thailand’s Ministry of Interior was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

Arsit Sampantharat, the Thai Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary, was quoted by the country’s Channel 3 television channel as saying that more than half of those evacuated were from Surin province, while the rest were from the provinces of Sisaket, Buriram and Ubon Ratchathani.

Citing officials in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, the Khmer Times news organisation said that about 20,000 residents have evacuated from the country’s northern border with Thailand.

Shelling from Thailand was also reported before dawn on Friday, the Khmer Times quoted the Cambodian military as saying.

Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts claimed that Thailand’s strikes had caused “substantial damage” to the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, according to The Phnom Penh Post.

Diplomatic sources told the AFP news agency that the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the border fighting.

On Thursday, Thailand said it scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia, while Cambodian forces launched long-range rockets towards civilian areas along the Thai border, Thailand’s military said.

Both countries have blamed each other for starting the clashes in a disputed area of the border, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling.

The United States, a longtime treaty ally of Thailand, has called for an immediate end to the hostilities.

China, a close ally of Cambodia, said it was deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict and hoped that both countries “will properly solve their dispute through dialogue and consultation”.

At least 11 people have been killed in deadly clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border between both countries’ troops and involving heavy weapons, rockets and fighter jets on Thursday.

The outbreak of fighting between the South Asian neighbours follows weeks of tensions which have been brewing since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation on the border. In February, a dispute over Prasat Ta Moan Thon, a Khmer temple close to the border in Thailand, intensified when Thai police stopped Cambodian tourists from singing their national anthem at the contested site.

Shelling damaged hospitals and other civilian locations in Thailand during Thursday’s fighting, resulting in deaths and injuries, according to statements from the government. Thailand said it had retaliated with air attacks, but it is not yet clear if there have been casualties in Cambodia.

Each side blames the other for launching the first attack, as they have cut diplomatic relations with each other. Thailand said it had closed all border crossings with Cambodia.

Here’s what we know about the clashes so far:

What has happened and where?

Armed fighting broke out on Thursday morning near the disputed, ancient Prasat Ta Moan Thom Temple in Surin province, Thailand, very close to the border with Cambodia, where tensions have been running high in recent weeks.

It’s unclear yet who fired the first shot, with each side blaming the other.

The Thai military accused Cambodian soldiers of “provocation”.

Cambodian troops deployed a surveillance drone at 7:35am (00:35 GMT) before soldiers with rocket launchers approached a Thai military post, according to the Thai military. Thereafter, Cambodian forces opened fire towards the eastern side of the temple, 200 metres (650ft) from the Thai military base, and also targeted a local community with rockets, the Thai military said.

Deputy army spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters that air attacks were launched in response, including six F-16 fighter jets which attacked sites over the border in Cambodia and reportedly destroyed two military targets.

However, Cambodian defence officials denied that their troops fired first and said the country only responded after Thai troops launched an “armed assault on Cambodian forces”.

Spokeswoman Maly Socheata accused Thailand of violating Cambodia’s territorial integrity and said Cambodian troops “exercised their right to defend their sovereignty” after Thai fighter jets dropped two bombs on a road.

How many casualties have there been?

At least 11 people have been killed in Thailand – mostly civilians – the Ministry of Public Health said. An eight-year-old child was among the dead.

Six people were killed and 10 were wounded in one strike when a Cambodian rocket hit a busy gas station in Sisaket province, the Thai army said in a statement.

Three other deaths were recorded in Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces.

It is still unknown if there have been any casualties in Cambodia.

Why has fighting broken out?

Thai-Cambodia relations are at their worst in more than a decade.

The 818km (508-mile) border between the two countries has long been a source of tension and rivalry, as they both dispute demarcations drawn in 1907, during French colonial rule in Cambodia. There have been skirmishes before, but this is the first time fighter jets have been involved, marking a significant escalation.

The border areas are replete with centuries-old historical temples, some of which are claimed by both sides.

Although the establishment of a demilitarised zone has been discussed in the past, there are no formal zones in place now.

Troops from both sides clashed in 2011 near the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, killing 15-20 people and causing the displacement of thousands.

Cambodia first took the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1963. In 2011, Cambodia again went to the ICJ in relation to the Preah Vihear Temple. The ICJ ruled in Cambodia’s favour and handed it control of the immediate area around the temple in 2013.

However, the court did not address any of the other disputed areas, especially those within the “Emerald Triangle”, a shared border region between Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, where troops also frequently clash.

Thailand has refused to acknowledge the ICJ’s jurisdiction in this issue. Tensions have simmered until this year’s escalation.

“The whole situation has been spiralling downwards for weeks, with Cambodia laying landmines that injured Thai soldiers, and Bangkok’s expulsion of the Cambodian ambassador was apparently the last straw,” Phil Robertson, director of the Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates Consultancy, told Al Jazeera.

“So now the question is really how long will both sides continue fighting, and how many civilians will get killed in the indiscriminate crossfire that is already apparent,” he added.

How have tensions escalated between Thailand and Cambodia this year?

• On February 13, Cambodian soldiers escorted 25 civilians to the Prasat Ta Moan Thon Temple, where they reportedly sang the Cambodian national anthem. Thai military officials said they stopped the tourists from singing, on the basis that it violated mutual agreements about tourist protocols.
• On February 17, the Thai army sent a warning letter to the Cambodian military, accusing it of “inappropriate behaviour” and instructing it not to repeat the incident of February 13. In a statement, the Thai Ministry of National Defence said the temple was officially in Thai territory and that while Cambodian citizens could visit, singing the country’s national anthem “raises concerns”.
• On May 28, both sides clashed in the disputed border area of the Emerald Triangle, leaving one Cambodian soldier dead. The tri-border area connects Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. Again, each side blamed the other for starting the violence.
• On June 12, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced that Cambodia would stop relying on Thai electricity and internet infrastructure due to “threats”. Cambodian TV stations stopped broadcasting Thai movies, and Cambodia also blocked imports of fuel and gas, as well as fruit and vegetables, from Thailand.
• On June 14, officials from both countries met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for talks. However, no concrete agreement for peace was reached. Both countries instead boosted border security and tightened checks at crossings.
• On June 15, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is the country’s youngest premier at 38, held a call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen and discussed the tensions. Hun Sen is the father of the current prime minister, Hun Manet.
• On June 26, Thailand ordered operators to stop providing broadband and mobile internet connections to Cambodia.
• On July 1, Shinawatra was suspended after her phone call with Hun Sen was leaked to the public. In it, Shinawatra appeared to criticise the Thai military’s actions, signalling discord between the government and the army. Pro-military protesters have since called for her resignation.
• On July 16, a Thai soldier lost a leg in a landmine explosion while on patrol in First was in the Chong Bok area of Nam Zuen district, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, escalating tensions.
• On July 23, a second blast injured five Thai soldiers near Chong An Ma point, in Ubon Ratchathani province, causing a second soldier to lose a leg. Thailand immediately recalled its ambassador to Cambodia and shut border checkpoints at Chong An Ma, Chong Sa-ngam, Chong Chom and Chong Sai Takoo. Ta Moan Thom and Ta Kwai temples were also closed.
• On July 24, violence erupted between the two sides, involving heavy weapons and air attacks. Cambodia also recalled its diplomatic staff in Thailand.

What does each side say about the conflict?

Thailand’s acting premier, Phumtham Wechayachai, said in a statement on Thursday that the dispute was “delicate” and must be resolved according to international law.

Suspended Prime Minister Shinawatra – who is also the culture minister – condemned Cambodia, in a news briefing, for opening fire and accused the country of allowing the situation to escalate beyond diplomatic levels.

“We have always respected international protocols, but now Cambodia has forced our hand. We may have to take actions we have tried to avoid in the past,” she said.

For his part, Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Manet, has urged an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to stop “Thailand’s aggression”. Manet said Thai forces launched “unprovoked, premeditated and deliberate attacks” on the Cambodian border, violating international law.

“Facing this flagrant aggression, Cambodian troops had no option but to respond in self-defence in order to safeguard Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Manet wrote in a letter to UNSC President Asin Iftikhar Ahmad.

“It is profoundly reprehensible that this act of aggression occurs while Cambodia is actively pursuing peaceful and impartial legal avenues to resolve outstanding border issues with Thailand through both bilateral and international mechanisms,” he added.

Both countries have closed borders and announced evacuations of their citizens from the border zones. The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh urged citizens to leave Cambodia.

What reactions have there been from other nations and international bodies?

The United States and China issued warnings to their citizens to be vigilant in the border areas.

The US embassy in Thailand urged Americans to heed advice from Thai authorities, who commenced evacuation from the worst-hit areas on Thursday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters at a news conference on Thursday that China is “deeply concerned” about escalating tensions between its neighbours, and stressed the importance of “maintaining friendly relations” with “long-term interests on both sides”.

China will “continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace and dialogue to help ease tensions”, the spokesperson said.

Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia and current chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Thailand and Cambodia are members, said he would engage both sides in negotiations.

“I have sent messages to both prime ministers and look forward to speaking with them later today or tonight,” he told reporters.

“The least we can expect is for them to stand down and hopefully try to enter into negotiation,” Ibrahim said, calling the situation “worrying” and describing Thailand and Cambodia as key ASEAN members.

Will this situation escalate further?

Robertson of AHRLA said the situation would likely “get worse before it gets better”.

Bad blood between Cambodian PM Hun Sen and former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, respectively the fathers of both countries’ current leaders, could add to the political will to continue fighting, Robertson said.

Although Thaksin and Hun Sen were longtime allies, Robertson said Hun Sen’s leaking of the recording of  the damaging phone call between him and Thaksin’s daughter, suspended PM Shinawatra, means “the gloves are now off between the two sides.

“Right now, neither side wants to be seen as conceding any ground to the other, so the fighting is likely to continue for some time, primarily in the form of firing across the border with artillery and firefights across the border in disputed areas,” he said.

Robertson added: “We’re not going to see either side invade the other, but the damage will be lasting and it’s hard to see how this will be mediated towards peace, at least in the short-to-medium term.”

BREAKINGBREAKING,

The clash is the latest in a long-running deadly border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours.

A clash has taken place between Thai and Cambodian troops at a disputed area of their border, Thailand’s military has said.

In a statement, the Thai military said Cambodian troops opened fire in an area near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple – located on the countries’ shared border in northwestern Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey Province – early on Thursday.

It said Cambodia had deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops to the area with heavy weapons.

In May, a long-running border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia boiled over into military clashes that left one Cambodian soldier dead.

The continuing border dispute has soured relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours, with the two sides trading barbs and tit-for-tat retaliatory measures, including the closure of border crossings.

Cambodia has also blocked imports of fuel and gas, as well as fruit and vegetables, from Thailand.

Most recently, on Wednesday, a Thai soldier sustained injuries and lost his right leg in a landmine incident.

In response, Thailand’s governing Pheu Thai Party said it had recalled Thailand’s ambassador to Cambodia and will expel Cambodia’s ambassador from the country. Thailand has also downgraded diplomatic relations with Cambodia, the party said.

In response, Cambodia has withdrawn all of its diplomats from Thailand and ordered all Thai diplomats to leave the country.

The Cambodian government also downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand to the “lowest level”, reducing it to the rank of “second secretary”, according to local news outlet the Phnom Penh Post.

Earlier, Thailand had accused Cambodia of placing landmines on the Thai side of the disputed border area between Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani Province and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Province, after three soldiers were injured while on a patrol on July 16.

Cambodia claims the soldiers, one of whom lost his foot in the explosion, veered off agreed routes and triggered a mine left behind from decades of war.

The UK is not the first place that springs to mind when you think of beautiful beaches, but a new list has revealed two stunning stretches of sand that rival those in Greece and Thailand.

The UK might not be the first place that springs to mind when you think of stunning beaches, with most people’s thoughts drifting towards Spain, the south of France or even Australia.

Yet, a recent list has ranked two British beaches among the top 50 in the world, outshining spots in Greece and Thailand. Whitesands Beach, located near St Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales, clinched the 28th spot on Enjoy Travel’s top 50 beaches.

This breathtaking expanse of white sand is nestled amidst dramatic cliffs, offering spectacular walks and awe-inspiring ocean views.

The beach itself is a beauty, boasting ample space for exploration without ever feeling overcrowded.

With excellent water quality, it’s an ideal spot for summer swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving. It even holds a Blue Flag status, assuring its safety for swimming, reports the Express.

The second British gem to feature on the list is the remarkable Luskentyre Beach in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.

Ranked at number 12, this beach is renowned for its striking similarity to Caribbean locations, courtesy of its pristine white sand and crystal-clear turquoise waves lapping against the shore.

As the largest beach on the Isle of Harris, it frequently features on ‘best of’ lists due to its tranquil allure and stunning vistas.

Like Whitesands, Luskentyre Beach offers vast expanses often devoid of crowds, allowing visitors to fully appreciate its natural beauty.

If you’re keen to explore this award-winning beach, the ideal times are late spring and summer, courtesy of the extended daylight hours.

As the sun dips below the horizon, you’ll witness a breathtaking spectacle marking the end of the day.

Nonetheless, a winter visit offers equal beauty – just ensure you’re adequately layered up.

Just two weeks earlier, his daughter Paetongtarn was suspended as prime minister by the country’s Constitutional Court.

Former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra has testified in court, seeking to defend himself against royal defamation charges that could land him 15 years in prison, just weeks after his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended as prime minister.

Thaksin stands accused of breaching strict lese-majeste laws shielding Thailand’s royal family from abuse and criticism in a closed-door trial in the capital, Bangkok, that began earlier this month and continued on Wednesday.

The prosecution’s case revolves around remarks Thaksin made to South Korean media a decade ago, with the defendant due to give at least three days of testimony. A verdict is not expected for several weeks.

Recent events for both father and daughter are a serious blow to the powerful Shinawatra political dynasty. For the past quarter-century, the 75-year-old telecoms magnate has been a defining figure of Thai politics, founding a movement which has competed with the traditional pro-royal, pro-military elite.

His prosecution, combined with Paetongtarn’s suspension two weeks ago, represents a dramatic waning of their family’s political fortune, analysts say.

Thaksin’s lawyer Winyat Chatmontri told the AFP news agency his client testified on Wednesday morning “and will continue throughout the rest of the day”.

About 50 Thaksin supporters gathered at the court, wearing red shirts, the colour of his political movement, emblazoned with a portrait of his face.

“He is a very talented guy,” 79-year-old retired accountant Vaew Wilailak told AFP. “But from past experience, bad people just want to get rid of him.”

Thaksin returned to Thailand in August 2023 after 15 years in exile, following a military coup which removed him from the prime minister’s office that he won in two elections.

He returned the day his family’s Pheu Thai party took office, at the head of a coalition government backed by their conservative former enemies, prompting suspicions a backroom deal had been struck.

Thaksin was immediately sentenced to eight years in prison on corruption and abuse of power charges – later reduced to one year by a pardon from King Maha Vajiralongkorn in another apparent sign of reconciliation.

In recent interviews, Thaksin affirmed his loyalty to the monarchy and expressed gratitude for the king’s pardon.

Speaking to AFP outside the court on the trial’s opening day on July 1, Winyat said his client appeared “chill” despite the seriousness of the case.

On the same day, Paetongtarn was suspended by the Constitutional Court, pending an ethics probe into her conduct during a leaked diplomatic phone call discussing a deadly border clash between Thai and Cambodian troops on May 28, which resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier and reignited longstanding tensions in the region.

The scandal “became a full-blown crisis” after the leaked call suggested that Paetongtarn had “compromised her position by kowtowing” to former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, professor of political science and international relations at Chulalongkorn University, told the Turkish news agency Anadolu.

In the call, Paetongtarn referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and described a Thai military commander as an “opponent”.

Pheu Thai’s coalition has been abandoned by key conservative backers over the call, leaving it with a razor-thin parliamentary majority steered by a caretaker prime minister.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has warned Brits travelling to Thailand that they could be “held in detention” if they pack a common British game

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued a warning to British travellers about the trouble you could get in for packing a simple game.

Thailand’s strict gambling laws could see you get in serious trouble if you aren’t prepared for how fastidious the Southeast Asian nation can be.

“Thailand has strict laws on gambling. Under the Playing Cards Act (1943) it is illegal to carry over one hundred and twenty playing cards. Violation of the Act could lead to prosecution, a fine, or even imprisonment,” the FCDO warns in a new update on its website.

There are other considerations to keep in mind when considering a visit to Thailand.

As of the start of May this year, the country – which once welcomed one million Brits at its pre-pandemic height and now welcomes around 800,000 annually – has implemented a fresh visa system applicable to all non-Thai passport holders.

READ MORE: Spanish holiday island loved by Brits overwhelmed by piles of stinking rubbish

“From 1 May 2025, all foreign nationals entering Thailand, whether by air, land or sea must complete a digital arrival card online before arrival. Travellers can register for an arrival card within 3 days before they arrive,” details the FCDO on its official website.

British citizens are permitted to enter Thailand for up to 60 days for tourism, business meetings, and urgent or one-off work. This type of visa can be extended once for no more than an additional 30 days. However, the FCDO cautions that overstaying your visa could lead to severe consequences.

“If you overstay the period of your visa, you will get a fine of 500 Thai baht a day up to a maximum of 20,000 baht (£450). You risk being: held in detention, deported at your own expense, banned from re-entering Thailand for up to 10 years. Conditions in detention centres can be harsh,” the government body warns.

Travellers must also adhere to other specific entry regulations when visiting Thailand. Your passport must possess an ‘expiry date’ of no less than six months beyond your arrival date and contain at least one blank page. Entry will be refused if you lack a valid travel document or attempt to use a passport that has been declared lost or stolen.

If you hold dual nationality, it’s advisable to depart Thailand using the same passport you used for entry – this prevents complications at immigration. You may also seek a multiple-entry visa in advance for stays of up to 60 days.

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From May this year, Thailand has reintroduced the requirement for tourist visa candidates to furnish financial evidence. This stipulation, which was briefly waived in November 2023 to encourage post-pandemic tourism, mandates that all candidates prove their capacity to sustain themselves throughout their visit.

According to Thailand’s official e-Visa website, candidates must now present financial documentation displaying a minimum of 20,000 Thai Baht. Valid documents encompass bank statements from the previous three months or a sponsorship letter if another party is funding the journey.

Earlier this year, a British gentleman was detained in Thailand following a visa overstay of more than 25 years beyond his initial 30-day permit.

The individual, now aged 60, entered Thailand on a brief tourist visa on 9 January 2000, subsequently avoiding Thai officials for 25 years. Thai police described it as a “record” visa breach, surpassing the former record held by a Pakistani gentleman who exceeded his visa by 10 years, according to AFP news agency.

Dale Smith is planning to move his family to Thailand with ‘nothing but a bag of clothes’ to seek a better quality of life – and he’s urged others not to live ‘in regret’

A father-of-two is ready to uproot his family from the UK and move to Thailand with “nothing but a bag of clothes”, as he seeks an enhanced life quality and urges others not to live “in regret”. Dale Smith, 37, along with his wife, Kim, 36, and their children Noah, 10, and Molly, eight, has grown tired of feeling “trapped” and dissatisfied with life in Britain, where his earnings are consumed by escalating expenses and his kids are unhappy with their schooling.

The frustrated HGV driver shared that he and his brood are itching to shake off the monotony of counting down to weekends – and they’ve set their sights on Thailand’s “beautiful scenery” and “incredible food” for a fresh start. The family’s plan involves selling their three-bedroom house, a 2015 Ford Focus, and almost all their gadgets and belongings to fund their relocation, dreaming of touching down in Bangkok armed with merely “a bag of clothes” and a nest egg.

Opting for homeschooling over traditional education, Dale intends to integrate the children with fellow expatriate communities abroad, hoping that Noah and Molly will embrace “learn new languages and learn about new cultures”. Dale’s been documenting his venture on TikTok, with his most viewed video, explaining his motives for leaving, like the soaring cost of living and dismal weather, amassing over one million views.

Feeling “terrified” yet “excited” the family has eyed November to kickstart the plan, with ambitions to list their Nottinghamshire house on the market come August.

“Don’t live your life in regret,” Dale urged. “If you want to do something like this, don’t be afraid, don’t give up. It scares me to death to think we’re just chasing this dream of ‘one day this will happen’ or ‘when we’re retired it will be nice’. We need to embrace this and enjoy our lives, we’ve got nothing to lose.”

Seeking an escape, Dale said that his family feel “trapped” and “fed up” with life in Britain. He said: “We just want to break out of this routine, I feel like life is just flying by. You wake up on a Monday, you’re fed up and you can’t wait for the weekend – you’re wishing the days away.”

Dale has also grown disenchanted due to increasing crime rates and living costs, declaring the UK “not a nice place to live any more”. He added: “The prices of everything are going up and the streets are a state.”

He discussed a career shift to HGV driving which initially “doubled” his income a few years ago, but it didn’t lead to financial freedom. He said: “That extra money is just going on bills, the bills have now doubled – you’re banging your head against a brick wall.”

Dale and his family are set to shake things up by moving to Thailand, with his two children reportedly keen on the idea “straight away”. “I think this is the right time for them, they don’t enjoy school here and they find it a bit pointless,” he said.

Dale and Kim plan to homeschool their kids in Thailand, focusing on English, basic maths, and subjects they’re passionate about, like history, video editing, and photography.

“Kids are sponges, so hopefully they will start learning the Thai language,” he said. “Noah and Molly will still have the opportunity to do their GCSEs if they want to, we’re not holding them back on anything in relation to their education.”

To cover the travel expenses, Dale revealed that the family intends to land in Thailand with minimal possessions. They’re looking to sell their house, car, electronics, and most belongings – keeping only sentimental items stored with relatives in the UK.

“We plan to go to Thailand with nothing but a bag of clothes, because what else would we need?” he said. Although the family’s travel plans aren’t set in stone, they aim to depart the UK by November, contingent on selling their house, which they hope to list in August.

Dale revealed they’ve been knee-deep in “loads” of research for their visa applications, flights, and desired destinations, anticipating a one-week stint in Bangkok before settling down the coast in Hua Hin for several months.

“We need to base ourselves somewhere cheap for a month or two to try and figure out our spending costs – from there, we’ll work out where we’ll go next,” he said. The thrill of “adventure” is what Dale is looking forward to most during their explorations.

“I don’t like having things planned, every day we’ll be waking up wondering what we are going to do today,” he admitted. Dale also spoke about his hope to rent a furnished property abroad, easing one potential worry: “one thing (they) don’t have to worry about”.

With close family back in the UK, Dale hinted at a possible return, “it depends” leaving their plans open-ended. “That’s the joy of doing what we are doing, we can come back if we need to and spend quality time with our relatives,” he said.

Although Dale chose not to disclose the amount saved for the journey, he remains confident they have sufficient funds for a couple of years. He’s also chronicling their adventurous leap on TikTok and YouTube via @4go.traveling, which might bolster their budget with “a little bit of extra income”.

His TikTok has gone viral, racking up a staggering 1.5 million views, featuring Dale in his car, sharing his reasons to move abroad – and it’s struck a chord with viewers who’ve also left the UK.

“I think it’ll be fun,” he said. “It’s scary and I’m terrified, but I think it’ll be amazing – especially for the children. We’ll have a better quality of life, we’ll be more present with the kids, the weather will be nicer and the scenery will be prettier – it’s a no-brainer.”

China has agreed to sign a Southeast Asian treaty banning nuclear weapons, Malaysia’s and China’s foreign ministers confirmed, in a move that seeks to shield the area from rising global security tensions amid the threat of imminent United States tariffs.

The pledge from Beijing was welcomed as diplomats gathered for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers’ meeting, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also due to meet regional counterparts and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamad Hasan told reporters on Thursday that China had confirmed its willingness to sign the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty – an agreement in force since 1997 that restricts nuclear activity in the region to peaceful purposes such as energy generation.

“China made a commitment to ensure that they will sign the treaty without reservation,” Hasan said, adding that the formal signing will take place once all relevant documentation is completed.

ASEAN has long pushed for the world’s five recognised nuclear powers – China, the United States, Russia, France and the United Kingdom – to sign the pact and respect the region’s non-nuclear status, including within its exclusive economic zones and continental shelves.

Last week, Beijing signalled its readiness to support the treaty and lead by example among nuclear-armed states.

Rubio, who is on his first visit to Asia as secretary of state, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday amid a cloud of uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff strategy, which includes new levies on six ASEAN nations as well as key traditional allies Japan and South Korea.

The tariffs, set to take effect on August 1, include a 25 percent duty on Malaysia, 32 percent on Indonesia, 36 percent on Cambodia and Thailand, and 40 percent on Laos and Myanmar.

Japan and South Korea have each been hit with 25 percent tariffs, while Australia – another significant Asia Pacific ally – has reacted angrily to threats of a 200 percent duty on pharmaceutical exports to the US.

Vietnam, an ASEAN nation, along with the UK, are the only two countries to have signed separate trade deals with the US, whose administration had boasted they would have 90 deals in 90 days.

The US will place a lower-than-promised 20 percent tariff on many Vietnamese exports, Trump has said, cooling tensions with its 10th-biggest trading partner days before he could raise levies on most imports. Any transshipments from third countries through Vietnam will face a 40 percent levy, Trump said, announcing the trade deal on Wednesday. Vietnam would accept US products with a zero percent tariff, he added.

Reporting from Kuala Lumpur, Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride says Southeast Asian nations are finding themselves at the centre of intensifying diplomatic competition, as global powers look to strengthen their influence in the region.

“The ASEAN countries are facing some of the highest tariffs from the Trump administration,” McBride said. “They were also among the first to receive new letters announcing yet another delay in the imposition of these tariffs, now pushed to 1 August.”

The uncertainty has pushed ASEAN states to seek alternative trade partners, most notably China. “These tariffs have provided an impetus for all of these ASEAN nations to seek out closer trade links with other parts of the world,” McBride added.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been in Kuala Lumpur for meetings with ASEAN counterparts, underscoring Beijing’s growing engagement.

Meanwhile, Russia’s top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, has also been holding talks in Malaysia, advancing Moscow’s vision of a “multipolar world order” – a concept backed by China that challenges what they see as a Western-led global system dominated by the US.

“Lavrov might be shunned in other parts of the world,” McBride noted, “but he is here in Malaysia, meeting with ASEAN members and promoting this alternative global structure.”

At the same time, Rubio is aiming to counter that narrative and ease tensions. “Many ASEAN members are traditional allies of the United States,” McBride said. “But they are somewhat nervous about the tariffs and recent US foreign policy moves. Rubio is here to reassure them that all is well in trans-Pacific relations.”

As geopolitical rivalry intensifies, ASEAN finds itself courted from all directions, with the power to influence the future shape of international alliances.

US seeks to rebuild confidence in ASEAN

Rubio’s presence in Kuala Lumpur signals Washington, DC’s intention to revive its Asia Pacific focus following years of prioritising conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

The last meeting between Rubio and Russia’s top diplomats took place in Saudi Arabia in February as part of the Trump administration’s effort to re-establish bilateral relations and help negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

Analysts say Rubio faces a difficult task of rebuilding confidence with Southeast Asian countries unnerved by the US’s trade policies. Despite the economic fallout, he is expected to try and promote the US as a more dependable alternative to China in terms of both security and long-term investment.

According to a draft communique obtained by Reuters, ASEAN foreign ministers will express “concern over rising global trade tensions and growing uncertainties in the international economic landscape, particularly the unilateral actions relating to tariffs”.

Separately, a meeting involving top diplomats from Southeast Asia, China, Russia and the United States will condemn violence against civilians in war-torn Myanmar, according to a draft statement seen Thursday by AFP.

ASEAN has led diplomatic efforts to end Myanmar’s many-sided civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.

The country has had three leaders in as many days, following a court’s decision to suspend Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Thailand has ushered in the appointment of its second interim prime minister this week, following the Constitutional Court’s suspension of the country’s leader, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, fuelled by a phone call scandal with a key Cambodian political figure.

Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai assumed caretaker responsibilities on Thursday, two days after Paetongtarn was banned from duties, a government statement on Thursday confirmed.

In a post on social media, the Thai government said that Phumtham’s role as acting prime minister had been agreed at the first meeting of a new cabinet, which took place shortly after ministers were sworn in by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The 71-year-old replaces Suriya Jungrungreangkit, who only carried out the role for one day ahead of the reshuffle.

The interim appointments occurred after Paetongtarn was temporarily barred from office earlier this week over allegations that she breached ministerial ethics in a leaked phone conversation with Cambodia’s influential former leader, Hun Sen.

The call took place in mid-June with the aim of defusing recent border tensions between the two countries following an eruption of violence that killed a Cambodian soldier.

Critics in Thailand expressed anger at Paetongtarn’s decision to call Hun Sen “Uncle” and to criticise a Thai army commander.

The Constitutional Court accepted a petition from 36 senators, which claimed that the 38-year-old had violated the constitution in her conversation with Hun Sen.

It said there was “sufficient cause to suspect” Paetongtarn had breached ministerial ethics, with an investigation now under way into the incident.

Before her suspension began, Paetongtarn appointed herself as culture minister in the new cabinet. She was sworn in to the position at the Grand Palace on Thursday.

Paetongtarn’s government had struggled to revive a flagging economy, with an opinion poll in late June suggesting that her popularity had dropped to 9.2 percent from 30.9 percent in March.

Thailand’s political dynasty has been facing legal peril on two fronts, as a separate court hears a royal defamation suit against her father, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin has denied the charges against him and repeatedly pledged allegiance to the crown.

Thaksin dodged jail and spent six months in hospital detention on medical grounds before being released on parole in February last year. The Supreme Court will this month scrutinise that hospital stay and could potentially send him back to jail.

Bangkok, Thailand – Even at the Nana intersection, a pulsating mecca of this megacity’s seamy nightlife scene, the Wonderland cannabis shop is hard to miss.

Its sprawling, ruby-pink signboard screams across the busy crossroads, broadcasting the wares inside with the help of neon lights twisted into luminescent marijuana leaves.

It is Saturday afternoon, and business should be good. But it is not.

Just days earlier, Thailand’s government imposed new rules sharply curbing the sale of cannabis, only three years after decriminalising the plant with much fanfare and unleashing a billion-dollar business in the process.

All sales of cannabis buds must now be accompanied by a doctor’s prescription – a stipulation aimed at choking off the recreational market, the mainstay of most of the thousands of dispensaries that now dot the country.

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin has also announced his intention to place the plant back on the country’s controlled narcotics list within 45 days, putting it in the company of cocaine, heroin and meth.

Nanuephat Kittichaibawan, an assistant manager at Wonderland, said his shop used to serve 10 or more customers an hour most afternoons.

Now, even with an in-house doctor to write prescriptions on the spot, “it is just one or two”, he told Al Jazeera.

“It is more complicated than it used to be, and for some people it will be too much,” he added.

Like many in the business, he worries the new rules may even force him to shut down, putting him out of work.

“If we follow the rules, we could [have to] close,” he said. “I do worry about that. A lot of people have this as their main job, and they need it to survive.”

Faris Pitsuwan, who owns five dispensaries on some of Thailand’s most popular tourist islands, including Ko Phi Phi Don and Phuket, is worried, too.

“Yesterday, I could not sell anything,” he told Al Jazeera. “I hope my business will survive, but too soon to say.”

While announcing the policy U-turn last week, Somsak said the new rules would help contain Thailand’s cannabis industry to the medical market, as intended when a previous administration, and a different health minister, decriminalised the plant in 2022.

“The policy must return to its original goal of controlling cannabis for medical use only,” government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said.

Since a new administration took over in 2023, the government has blamed decriminalisation for a wave of problems, including a spike in overdoses among children and adolescents and increased smuggling to countries where cannabis is still illegal.

A survey by the government’s National Institute of Development Administration last year found that three in four Thais strongly or moderately agreed with putting cannabis back on the narcotics list.

Smith Srisont, president of Thailand’s Association of Forensic Physicians, has been urging the government to relist cannabis from the beginning, mostly because of the health risks.

Smith notes that more than one study has found a fivefold to sixfold spike in cannabis-related health problems among children and adolescents since legalisation.

Although shops have been forbidden from selling to anyone below the age of 20, Smith says it has been too hard to enforce because the job falls mostly on health officers, rather than police, and Thailand does not have enough.

“So, they can’t … look at every shop,” he told Al Jazeera, but “if cannabis is [treated more] like methamphetamine … it will be … better because the police can [then get] involved” right away.

Many farmers and shop owners, though, say the blowback from legalising cannabis has been exaggerated, and scapegoated by the leading Pheu Thai Party to punish the Bhumjaithai Party, which abandoned the ruling coalition two weeks ago over Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s alleged bungling of a border dispute with Cambodia.

Somsak has denied the claim.

Bhumjaithai had led the push to decriminalise cannabis and was tussling with Pheu Thai for control of the powerful Ministry of the Interior in the weeks leading up to its split from the coalition.

“As soon as one party steps down from the coalition, this happens. The timing just could not be any more perfect,” Chokwan Chopaka, who opened a dispensary along Bangkok’s bustling Sukhumvit Boulevard soon after Thailand legalised cannabis, told Al Jazeera.

“I understand that cannabis does create issues,” she said, “[but] I feel that those issues could have been at least mitigated if the government were actually enforcing the rules that [did] exist in the first place.”

Chokwan said she had to shutter her shop a few months ago because she could no longer both follow those rules and compete with other dispensaries in the neighbourhood that were getting away with breaking them.

She expects that most dispensaries will end up closing if the new rules are enforced diligently, many of them before recouping the investments they made to get up and running.

“A lot of people are very stressed out. We’re talking about people that are borrowing money into this. This is their last breath, their last lot of savings, because our economy hasn’t been well,” Chokwan said.

The Thai government said in May that the national economy may grow by as little as 1.3 percent this year, dragged down in part by slumping tourist arrivals.

The government has blamed the freewheeling cannabis scene of the past three years for putting some tourists off Thailand – another reason, it argues, to tighten the reins.

Shah, on his second trip to Thailand from India in the past year, said the new rules could do more harm than good by pushing tourists like him and his friend away.

“One of the reasons that we do come here is so that we can smoke good weed,” Shah, who asked to be referred to by his last name only, told Al Jazeera.

Having landed in Bangkok only hours earlier, Shah and his friend were leaving a Nana neighbourhood dispensary with their purchase.

A self-avowed recreational user, Shah said the shop wrote him a prescription with few questions and no fuss.

But if the government does get serious about enforcing the new rules, he added, “maybe I’ll think twice next time and go somewhere else.”

Cannabis farmers are fretting about the new rules, too.

To keep selling their buds to local shops, every farm will soon need a Good Agriculture and Collection Practice (GACP) certificate from the government.

It certifies that the farm has met certain quality control standards.

Chokwan, who also leads the Writing Thailand’s Cannabis Future Network, a cannabis advocacy group, said only about 100 cannabis farms across the country currently have GACP certification.

Getting farms ready and tested can be expensive, she said, while forcing it on all farmers will weed out thousands of “little guys”, leaving the largest farms and the corporations backing them to dominate the market.

Coming in at less than 300 square metres (360 square yards), under banks of LED lights inside an unassuming beige building on the outskirts of Bangkok, the Thai Kush cannabis farm easily qualifies as one of the little guys.

Owner Vara Thongsiri said the farm has been supplying shops across the country since 2022. His main gripe with the new rules is how suddenly they came down.

“When you announce it and your announcement is effective immediately, how does a farm adapt that quickly? It is impossible. They didn’t even give us a chance,” he told Al Jazeera.

Vara said he would apply for the certificate nonetheless and was confident the quality of his buds would help his farm survive even in a smaller, medical-cannabis-only marketplace, depending on how long the application takes.

“My farm is a working farm. We harvest every month … If the process takes three months to six months, how am I going to last if I can’t sell the product I have?” he said.

“Because a farm can’t last if it can’t sell.”

Rattapon Sanrak, a cannabis farmer and shop owner, is crunching the numbers on the new regulations as well.

His small farm in the country’s fertile northeast supplies his two Highland Cafe dispensaries in Bangkok, including one in the heart of the city’s Khao San quarter, a warren of bars, clubs and budget accommodations catering to backpackers.

“I could stay open, but as [per] my calculation, it may not [be] worth the business. It’s not feasible any more due to the regulations, the rental and other costs,” he told Al Jazeera.

“It’s not worth the money to invest.”

Rattapon and others believe the government could have avoided the latest policy whiplash by passing a comprehensive cannabis control bill either before decriminalisation or soon after.

Like others critical of the government’s approach, he blames political brinkmanship between Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai for failing to do so.

Proponents of such a bill say it could have set different rules for farms based on their size, helping smaller growers stay in business, and better regulations to help head off the problems the government is complaining about now.

Although a bill has been drafted, Somsak has said he has no intention of pushing it forward, insisting that placing the plant back on the narcotics list was the best way to control it.

The Writing Thailand’s Cannabis Future Network plans to hold a protest in front of the Ministry of Public Health on Monday in hopes of changing the minister’s mind.

Rattapon said he and hundreds of other farmers and shop owners also plan on filing a class action lawsuit against the government over the new rules.

In the meantime, Rattapon and others warn, the government’s attempt at confining cannabis to the medical market will not simply make the recreational supply chain vanish.

Rattapon said many producers, having poured in millions of dollars and put thousands of people to work, will go underground, where they will be even harder to control.

“Imagine you have a company, you hire 10 people, you invest 2 million baht [$61,630] for that, you’re operating your business, and then one day they say that you cannot sell it any more. And in the pipeline, you have 100 kilograms coming. What would you do?” he said.

“They will go underground.”

Faris, the dispensary owner, agreed.

He said many of the shops and farms that rely on the recreational market will close under the new rules.

“But as time goes by,” he added, “people will find a way.”

The Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has 15 days to make her case after the country’s high court suspended her for a breach of ethics.

This comes after a phone call between Shinawatra and Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen, discussing an earlier border dispute.

A leaked audio of that call, in which the prime minister referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and appeared to criticise a Thai army commander, has sparked outrage and protests.

So, what’s next for Paetongtarn Shinawatra?

And for a country that’s seen its fair share of military coups, what will it mean for democracy?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Sean Boonpracong – Political analyst.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak – Political scientist at Chulalongkorn University.

Kasit Piromya – Former Thai minister of foreign affairs.

Thailand’s top court has suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra pending an ethics investigation over a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen. She accepted the decision, after being accused of violating the constitution with remarks about a deadly May border clash that sparked protests in Bangkok.

A Thai court has accepted a petition from senators that accuse the PM of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court has suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office pending an ethics investigation over a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian official, heaping pressure on Thailand’s governing political dynasty.

The court said in a statement that it had accepted a petition from 36 senators, which accuses Paetongtarn of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards, in violation of the constitution, over a leaked telephone conversation with Cambodia’s influential former leader, Hun Sen.

Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will assume a caretaker role while the court decides the case against Paetongtarn, who has 15 days to respond.

Paetongtarn will remain in the cabinet as the new culture minister following a cabinet reshuffle.

The controversy stems from a June 15 phone call with Cambodia’s influential former leader Hun Sen that was intended to defuse escalating border tensions between the neighbours.

During the call, Paetongtarn, 38, referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and criticised a Thai army commander, a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. She has apologised and said her remarks were a negotiating tactic.

The leaked call led to domestic outrage and has left Paetongtarn’s coalition with a razor-thin majority, with a key party abandoning the alliance and expected to soon seek a no-confidence vote in parliament, as protest groups demand the premier resign.

Legal perils

Paetongtarn’s battles after only 10 months in power underline the declining strength of the Pheu Thai Party, the populist juggernaut of the billionaire Shinawatra dynasty, which has dominated Thai elections since 2001, enduring military coups and court rulings that have toppled multiple governments and prime ministers.

It has been a baptism of fire for political novice Paetongtarn, who was thrust into power as Thailand’s youngest premier and replacement for Srettha Thavisin, who the Constitutional Court dismissed for violating ethics by appointing a minister who had once been jailed.

Paetongtarn’s government has also been struggling to revive a stuttering economy, and her popularity has declined sharply, with a June 19-25 opinion poll released at the weekend showing her approval rating sinking to 9.2 percent from 30.9 percent in March.

Paetongtarn’s father, Thaksin, the 75-year-old family patriarch and billionaire who was twice elected leader in the early 2000s, is also facing legal hurdles.

Divisive tycoon Thaksin, according to his lawyer, appeared at his first hearing at Bangkok’s Criminal Court on Tuesday on charges that he insulted Thailand’s powerful monarchy, a serious offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.

Thaksin denies the allegations and has repeatedly pledged allegiance to the crown.

The case stems from a 2015 media interview Thaksin gave while in self-imposed exile, from which he returned in 2023 after 15 years abroad to serve a prison sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power.

Thaksin dodged jail and spent six months in hospital detention on medical grounds before being released on parole in February last year.

The Supreme Court will this month scrutinise that hospital stay and could potentially send him back to jail.

Constitutional Court hears petition seeking premier’s dismissal as separate court hears defamation case against her father.

Thailand’s ruling political dynasty is facing legal peril, as the country’s Constitutional Court considers a petition seeking the dismissal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, while a separate court hears a royal defamation suit against her father, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The petition filed by 36 senators and being heard on Tuesday accuses Paetongtarn of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards in violation of the constitution over a leaked telephone conversation with Cambodia’s influential former leader, Hun Sen. If the court accepts the case, it could decide to suspend the premier from duty with immediate effect.

Thaksin also has his first hearing at Bangkok’s Criminal Court on Tuesday in a case centred on allegations that he insulted Thailand’s powerful monarchy, a serious offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. He denies the charges and has repeatedly pledged allegiance to the crown.

The kingdom’s politics have for years been dominated by a battle between the conservative, pro-military, pro-royalist elite and the Shinawatra family, whom the elite consider a threat to Thailand’s traditional social order.

On Tuesday, Thailand’s Constitutional Court is due to meet for the first time since a group of conservative senators lodged a case against Paetongtarn, accusing her of breaching ministerial ethics during a diplomatic spat with Cambodia.

If the court decides to hear the case, they could suspend the prime minister as they enter months-long deliberations, plunging Thailand into chaos as it grapples with a spluttering economy and the threat of tariffs from the United States.

The controversy stems from a June 15 call intended to defuse escalating border tensions with Cambodia. During the call, Paetongtarn, 38, referred to Hun Sen as “uncle”, and criticised a Thai army commander, a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. She has apologised and said her remarks were a negotiating tactic.

The leaked conversation triggered outrage and has left Paetongtarn’s coalition with a razor-thin majority, with a key party abandoning the alliance and expected to soon seek a no-confidence vote in parliament, as thousands of demonstrators demand the premier resign.

“I will let the process take its course,” a downcast Paetongtarn told reporters on Monday. “If you are asking whether I am worried, I am.”

If Paetongtarn is suspended, power will pass to her deputy, Phumtham Wechayachai.

The 38-year-old Paetongtarn took office less than a year ago but has been badly weakened by the Cambodia controversy.

Thailand’s king on Tuesday approved Paetongtarn’s cabinet reshuffle after her allies quit. She has appointed herself as culture minister.

Meanwhile, Thaksin, the 75-year-old family patriarch and billionaire twice elected leader in the early 2000s, appeared at a Bangkok criminal court to face accusations of breaching strict lese-majeste laws used to shield Thailand’s king from criticism.

The allegations stem from a 2015 interview he gave to South Korean media and he faces up to 15 years in jail after the trial, which is set to last for weeks, with a verdict not expected for at least a month after that.

A court official confirmed to the AFP news agency that the trial had started but media would not be allowed in.

Thaksin has denied the charges against him and repeatedly pledged allegiance to the crown.

Thaksin dodged jail and spent six months in hospital detention on medical grounds before being released on parole in February last year. The Supreme Court will this month scrutinise that hospital stay and could potentially send him back to jail.

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Thailand’s capital to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra amid growing anger over a leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday, outraged by a June 15 conversation in which Paetongtarn urged Hun Sen – the current Cambodian Senate president who still wields considerable influence in his country – not to listen to “the other side” in Thailand, including an outspoken Thai army general who she said “just wants to look cool”.

The army commander was in charge of an area where a border clash last month led to one Cambodian soldier being killed. The man was killed on May 28 following an armed confrontation in a contested area.

The leaked phone call with Hun Sen was at the heart of Saturday’s protest and has set off a string of investigations in Thailand that could lead to Paetongtarn’s removal.

Protesters held national flags and signs as they occupied parts of the streets around the Victory Monument in central Bangkok. At a huge stage set up at the monument, speakers expressed their love for Thailand following the intensified border dispute.

“It looks like this is going to be a pretty well-attended rally, certainly a loud voice … Lots of speeches, lots of whistles, lots of noise, all calling in full voice for Prime Minister Paetongtarn to resign,” said Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Bangkok. “They say this conversation has undermined Thailand, has undermined the military, and they are insisting that she step down – it does put her in a very tricky position.”

Many of the leading figures in the protest were familiar faces from a group popularly known as Yellow Shirts, whose clothing colour indicates loyalty to the Thai monarchy. They are longtime foes of Paetongtarn’s father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who reportedly has a close relationship with Hun Sen.

“The political scientists we’ve been speaking to over the last couple of days think it is going to be very difficult for Paetongtarn to survive as prime minister, but the problem then is who would replace her,” Cheng said.

Hun Sen addresses supporters

In Cambodia, Hun Sen on Saturday promised to protect his country’s territory from foreign invaders and condemned what he called an attack by Thai forces last month.

At a 74th anniversary celebration of the foundation of his long-ruling Cambodian People’s Party, Hun Sen claimed the action by the Thai army when it engaged Cambodian forces was illegal.

He said the skirmish inside Cambodian territory was a serious violation of country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, despite Cambodia’s goodwill in attempting to resolve the border issue.

“This poor Cambodia has suffered from foreign invasion, war, and genocide, been surrounded and isolated and insulted in the past but now Cambodia has risen on an equal face with other countries. We need peace, friendship, cooperation, and development the most, and we have no politics and no unfriendly stance with any nation,” Hun Sen said in an address to thousands of party members at the event in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

There is a long history of territorial disputes between the countries. Thailand is still rattled by a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that awarded Cambodia the disputed territory where the historic Preah Vihear temple stands. There were sporadic though serious clashes there in 2011. The ruling from the UN court was reaffirmed in 2013, when Yingluck was prime minister.

The scandal has broken Paetongtarn’s fragile coalition government, costing her Pheu Thai Party the loss of its biggest partner, the Bhumjaithai Party.

The departure of Bhumjaithai left the 10-party coalition with 255 seats, just above the majority of the 500-seat house.

Paetongtarn also faces investigations by the Constitutional Court and the national anticorruption agency. Their decisions could lead to her removal from office.

Sarote Phuengrampan, secretary-general of the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, said on Wednesday that his agency is investigating Paetongtarn for a serious breach of ethics over the Hun Sen phone call. He did not give a possible timeline for a decision.

Reports said the Constitutional Court can suspend Paetongtarn from duty pending the investigation and could decide as early as next week whether it will take the case. The prime minister said on Tuesday she is not worried and is ready to give evidence to support her case.

“It was clear from the phone call that I had nothing to gain from it, and I also didn’t cause any damage to the country,” she said.

The court last year removed her predecessor from Pheu Thai over a breach of ethics.

The order to restrict cannabis use for medical purposes only must pass another hurdle before becoming law.

The Thai government is moving to tighten rules around the sale of cannabis, just three years after the kingdom decriminalised recreational use of the popular substance.

Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday night ordered that cannabis use be restricted to medical use only, throwing the estimated $1bn industry into a state of uncertainty.

Government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said cannabis had created serious social problems for young people, and the industry, which has boomed in recent years, needed to be scaled back.

“The policy must return to its original goal of controlling cannabis for medical use only,” Jirayu said in a statement.

The order, however, is not law yet.

It will need to be published in the official Royal Gazette to come into force, and the government has not indicated when that will happen.

Thailand became the first country in Asia to fully decriminalise cannabis in 2022, in a move that has been wildly popular with tourists but less so among more conservative Thais.

Thousands of cannabis stores have opened across Thailand in the past three years, although it has remained relatively unregulated despite multiple attempts by the government.

The latest move to restrict cannabis use comes amid wider political turmoil in Thailand.

Last week the Bhumjaithai Party, previously a champion of decriminalising cannabis, withdrew from the government’s ruling coalition due to its mishandling of a border conflict with Cambodia.

The Thai Chamber of Commerce previously estimated that the cannabis trade could be worth $1.2bn by 2025, although experts say it has not reached its full potential due to the uncertainty that has plagued regulation around the industry since it was decriminalised.