In the international relations structures in Southeast Asia, “strategic trust” acts as a glue between countries that are diverse in terms of institutions, histories, and national interests. Strategic trust can be understood as the extent to which one country believes that another country will not harm its core interests, even in the absence of strong enforcement mechanisms. This is not blind trust but calculated trust, based on consistent behavior, policy transparency, and commitment to complying with common rules of the game. In Southeast Asia, strategic trust is not only the foundation for bilateral cooperation but also a prerequisite for building the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) according to the roadmap by 2025.
The relationship between Thailand and Cambodia is a case in point, reflecting the complex and fragile nature of strategic trust in the region. There have been periods of serious border conflicts, such as the dispute over the Preah Vihear temple area in 2008–2011, and the two countries have repeatedly been embroiled in military tensions. Although bilateral relations have stabilized under Hun Sen and subsequent civilian governments in Bangkok, underlying factors such as anti-Cambodian sentiment in the Thai military and a lack of transparency in the handling of migrant workers and border issues persist. In this context, the ASEAN institution, with its principles of non-interference and consensus, has shown its limits even more clearly. When tensions flare up, ASEAN often lacks effective tools for coordination and mediation, leading to a situation of “every man for himself” and dependence on personal relationships between leaders.
The leak of an audio recording between Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen in June 2025 is a typical example of the failure of strategic trust in a loose institutional framework like ASEAN.
What is remarkable about the incident is not only the content of the call but also the nature of the diplomatic form used. The 17-minute exchange was conducted outside official channels and was marked by an excessively intimate tone: Ms. Paetongtarn called Mr. Hun Sen “uncle” and agreed with him to ignore criticism from a Thai military general. This reflects the deeply personal political model in both countries. In Thailand, “Thaksinism” is not just a political phenomenon but also a family-based power structure, where the Shinawatra clan still holds great influence in politics, despite opposition from the military and royalists. In Cambodia, “Hun Senism” is a symbol of decades of personal rule, where Mr. Hun Sen and his family control almost all state power, passing the throne to his son without any real democratic competition.
The leaked audio recordings reveal a number of statements that have crossed the line on the military and security. Notably, the Thai military’s disdain for Ms. Paetongtarn’s response to her claim that the generals were just “showing off” is a provocative and insulting statement to the military, which has staged coups to overthrow governments led by her family. In addition, the fact that the prime minister of one country made such a clear statement in favor of another country’s leader on a potentially disputed border issue has touched the limits of domestic and international strategic trust. Not surprisingly, shortly afterwards, the Bhumjaithai Party—the second largest partner in the ruling coalition—announced its withdrawal from the government, citing the serious damage to the honor of the nation and the military.
Hun Sen’s role in releasing the recording has further complicated the situation. While Cambodia has said that Hun Sen simply wanted to “clarify the truth” after the first nine minutes of the recording were leaked earlier, observers have said that the release of the entire transcript was politically calculated. On the one hand, it helped Hun Sen demonstrate his status as a “great friend” of Thailand while sending a message to the Thai military that they should not underestimate his influence. On the other hand, he also unintentionally—or intentionally—put the Thai Prime Minister in a difficult position when Ms. Paetongtarn was forced to apologize publicly, undermining her reputation and legitimacy at home.
The impact of the leaked audio recording between Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen goes beyond the bilateral level, spreading like a domino effect to many levels of national political structures, international relations, and institutional functioning of ASEAN. At each level, this incident highlights the fragility of strategic trust while exposing the gaps in the ability to control and institutionalize individual power in Southeast Asia.
For Thailand, the political consequences are profound and potentially long-lasting. Internally, Paetongtarn’s government—newly formed with the support of the Shinawatra family—is on the brink of collapse after the Bhumjaithai Party, the second-largest partner in the ruling coalition, announced its withdrawal. This move not only created a parliamentary majority crisis but also cost Paetongtarn her already fragile political legitimacy and credibility as the “political heir” to her father, Thaksin Shinawatra. Polls after the event showed that the government’s approval rating plummeted, while support for the military’s role as a guarantor of national stability increased significantly.
The Thai military—which has traditionally been deeply involved in politics—now has a new justification for acting in the name of “protecting national honor and the face of the military.” The coups of 2006 and 2014 were both carried out in the name of maintaining stability and countering the influence of the Shinawatra family. This time, a civilian leader directly insulting the generals and showing subservience to foreign leaders could be interpreted as a threat to national security. In this context, the possibility of the military intervening, directly or indirectly, is a very real risk. This raises questions about the future of Thailand’s young democratic system, which has been repeatedly disrupted by military coups.
For Cambodia, this event can be seen by Hun Sen as a tactical victory in domestic affairs. The release of the entire recording demonstrates his proactive control of information and public opinion and helps him affirm his role as a powerful regional figure, despite having stepped down from the position of prime minister. In the eyes of the Cambodian public, Hun Sen is praised as someone who maintains his influence in foreign affairs and takes the initiative against a larger country like Thailand. However, on the international level, the release of a private recording between two heads of state may raise doubts about Phnom Penh’s diplomatic credibility. The deliberate release of confidential information will make other partners—both within and outside ASEAN—more cautious in all forms of high-level contact with Cambodian leaders. This, in the long term, may cause Cambodia to be partially isolated in strategic diplomatic channels or at least lose its image as a responsible partner in the region.
In terms of bilateral relations, Hun Sen’s release of the full transcript of the call also puts Thailand in a vulnerable position, forcing the Paetongtarn government to publicly apologize. This is an extremely dangerous diplomatic precedent, especially in the context of the two countries still having unresolved historical disputes. Without a clear and in-depth trust-building strategy from both sides, Thai-Cambodian relations risk taking a major step backward. Any efforts to build trust through defense, border security, and labor cooperation channels could be frozen or shifted to a state of precaution.
Regionally, the impact of this event is systemic for ASEAN. First of all, the incident has seriously undermined strategic trust within the bloc. ASEAN countries, which are already very cautious about sharing information and coordinating security, will now be even more cautious in high-level communications if they are concerned that the content may be leaked or exploited for internal political purposes. The fact that a high-level leader was recorded and then released in full without any official response from ASEAN shows the inability of this organization to handle internal crises. ASEAN does not have any mechanism to investigate, intervene, or mediate in bilateral diplomatic crises, especially when they do not take the form of traditional armed conflicts.
In addition, this incident also sets a dangerous precedent for the entire regional diplomatic culture: when personal relationships can be recorded, edited, disseminated, and exploited for political purposes. This breaks the unwritten norms of ASEAN diplomacy, where friendliness and discretion are considered the foundation. If this trend continues, regional leaders will gradually lose trust in each other, and instead there will be a permanent state of hidden tension. More importantly, strategic rivals outside the region, such as China or the United States, can take advantage of these trust gaps to amplify internal ASEAN conflicts. If any member state feels threatened or betrayed, it can turn to external powers as a strategic counterweight, leading to polarization in regional foreign policy and seriously weakening ASEAN’s neutrality in the Asia-Pacific security architecture.
Recent developments are a wake-up call for Southeast Asia on the need to institutionalize and make transparent strategic diplomatic channels. First, countries need to establish clear standards for high-level contacts between leaders—including confidentiality, recording, and public statements. Calls or personal contacts between leaders should be coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and controlled by an official system to ensure accountability and information security. Second, ASEAN countries need to strengthen the role of professional diplomacy, limiting the use of backroom channels or friendly relationships as tools to resolve crises. In a region where individual leaders can change quickly, betting on personal relationships is a risky strategy.
ASEAN also needs to rethink its operating model. It is necessary to establish an early warning mechanism for intra-bloc diplomatic crises, as well as a code of conduct for senior leaders in bilateral contacts. This is not to control or limit the freedom of leaders but to ensure that individual actions do not undermine the foundation of shared trust. In the long term, a strong ASEAN security community can only be built if member states agree to abandon the mindset of “personal politics” and replace it with institutionalized, accountable, and transparent diplomacy.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has issued travel advice for British passport holders heading to Thailand, where new visa rules came into force earlier this year
The FCDO has issued travel advice for those heading to Thailand
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has warned British travellers of new entry requirements for travel to Thailand.
At the beginning of May this year, the Southeast Asian country, which welcomed in one million Brits during its pre-pandemic peak and around 800,000 annually now, introduced a new visa system for everyone without a Thai passport.
“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,” the FCDO explains on its website.
UK passport holders are able to visit Thailand for a period of 60 days for the purpose of tourism, business engagements, and urgent or ad-hoc work. This visa category can be extended for another period not exceeding 30 days.
However, those who overstay their visa are putting themselves in serious jeopardy, according to the FCDO.
Thailand has a lot of beautiful spots for a holiday, such as Phi-Phi island(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
“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 governmental organisation warns.
There are other entry rules that you’ll have to follow when travelling to Thailand.
Your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least six months after the date you arrive and have at least one blank page. You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
If you’re a dual national, it is best to leave Thailand on the same passport you used to enter – this will avoid problems at immigration. You can also apply in advance for a multiple-entry visa for up to 60 days.
As of May this year, Thailand has reinstated the requirement for tourist visa applicants to provide financial proof. This measure, which was temporarily suspended in November 2023 to give post-pandemic travel a boost, requires that all applicants demonstrate the ability to support themselves during their stay.
According to Thailand’s official e-Visa portal, applicants must now submit financial evidence showing a minimum of 20,000 Thai Baht. Acceptable documents include bank statements from the last three months or a sponsorship letter if the trip is being financed by someone else.
Earlier this year, a British man was arrested in Thailand after overstaying his 30-day visa by more than 25 years.
The man, who is now 60 years old, arrived in Thailand on a short-term tourist visa on 9 January 2000, and then went on to evade Thai authorities for 25 years. Thai police said it was a “record” visa overstay, beating the previous record of a Pakistani man who overstayed his visa by 10 years, according to AFP news agency.
One man who bought breakfast, lunch and dinner in Bangkok, Thailand admitted he was stunned by the price of it all. He went online to talk about his travel experience
Thailand offers a variety of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner (stock photo)(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
One man who went to get breakfast, lunch and dinner in Thailand admitted he couldn’t believe the price of it all. Ryan Losasso is one half of the popular award-winning TikTok travel content creation duo ‘Live The Dash’ alongside Jade Beaty.
He went out into the streets of Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city to buy his three meals on a budget. Bangkok is known for its bustling street life, including street food and markets. One of the most famous street food dishes is pad Thai, a classic stir-fried noodle dish with shrimp, egg and peanuts. Ryan took his TikTok viewers along with him as he explored the Thai food scene and couldn’t believe the price of his breakfast, lunch and dinner.
To start his culinary journey the travel influencer went to Siam House Cafe where he opted for a traditional Thai breakfast that was made up of egg, pork meat and toast for just £1.50.
Taking a bite of his meal, he said “mmm” and reported that his breakfast was a “roaring success.”
Next he moved onto lunch where he picked up a ham and cheese toastie and a bottle of water from 7-Eleven for £1.05.
Ryan continued: “I do not have much left for dinner but let’s see what we can do.” He “scoured Bangkok’s streets” for an affordable dish and spotted Hai Som Tam Convent where he tucked into a pad Thai for £2.30.
In total Ryan’s breakfast, lunch and dinner from Bangkok cost him a mere £4.85. Bangkok is a foodie paradise as it offers a “mix of delicious street food, budget-friendly restaurants and hidden gems serving world-class Thai cuisine”, according to H and L Blogs.
The travel blog website claims that Bangkok’s “cheap eats are everywhere”, such as wok-fried noodles in Chinatown or “authentic local curries served for just a few Baht in local markets.”
One Thai Baht is equal to 0.023 Great British Pounds so it is very easy to eat out on a budget in Bangkok.
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H and L Blogs has listed some of the best budget food spots in Thailand’s capital city, including Yaowarat (Chinatown), best for street food like noodles and seafood, Or Tor Kor Market for fresh Thai ingredients and local dishes and Soi 38 Sukhumvit, a classic Bangkok night market with affordable meals.
Trip Savvy states that the average cost of a basic Thai meal in a restaurant is 90 to 150 Baht (£2.02 to £3.37) and pad Thai noodles with chicken or tofu can be found at street carts and from simple restaurants for 35 to 40 Baht (£0.35 to £0.90).
It adds that the average cost for pad Thai in tourist places is around 50 Baht (£1.12) per plate.
Ryan’s TikTok video showcasing how cheap it is to eat out in Bangkok has garnered thousands of views and likes and more than 100 comments.
One user simply said: “Thailand is very affordable.” While another exclaimed: “That pad Thai is a bargain!” A third described the cost of Ryan’s three meals as “so cheap.”
Cambodia’s PM Hun Manet announced that the decision would take effect from midnight on Sunday.
Cambodia has announced it will stop all fuel imports from its neighbour Thailand as relations have plunged to their lowest ebb in more than a decade after a Cambodian soldier was killed last month in a disputed area of the border.
Prime Minister Hun Manet announced the decision on Sunday, posting on social media that it would take effect from midnight.
Manet said energy companies would be able to “import sufficiently from other sources to meet domestic fuel and gas demands” in the country.
Separately, on Sunday, Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry urged its citizens not to travel to Thailand unnecessarily. Concurrently, Thailand’s consular affairs department warned Thais in Cambodia to avoid “protest areas”.
The ongoing escalation between the two countries began last month after a brief exchange of gunfire in the disputed border area killed a Cambodian soldier.
For more than a century, Cambodia and Thailand have contested sovereignty at various un-demarcated points along their 817km (508-mile) land border, which was first mapped by France when it colonised Cambodia in 1907.
But following the soldier’s death, the two countries have taken several measures to secure their borders, with both announcing closures of border checkpoints and crossings.
Leaked phone call
The border dispute created wider political turmoil after a leaked phone call on Wednesday between Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the former Cambodian leader, Hun Sen, who remains a powerful influence in his nation.
During the call, the Thai premier told Hun Sen that she was under domestic pressure and urged him not to listen to “the opposite side”, including a prominent Thai military commander at the border.
Soon after the leak, a major coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, quit the ruling alliance, overshadowing Paetongtarn’s premiership.
But on Sunday, the Thai leader said all coalition partners have pledged support for her government, which she said would seek to maintain political stability to address threats to national security.
Following a meeting with her coalition partners, she said, “The country must move forward. Thailand must unite and push policies to solve problems for the people.”
A rally has, nevertheless, been called for June 28 to demand that Paetongtarn, the daughter of influential former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, resign.
The outrageous actions of a content creator seeking the perfect social media image in Thailand have led a Brit tourist to brand her a ‘b****’
Carly shared her outrage online after spotting the incident unfold(Image: @carlyleighgyally)
A British holidaymaker has hit out at influencer culture for going too far as she urged content creators to let children play.
The comments from @carlyleighgyally on TikTok came as she sunned herself by a beautiful pool in a resort in Thailand.
Carly turned to her social media to express her outrage after a young child who was playing with her dad in the water was asked to move so an influencer could get a perfect picture. She explained: “This family’s here and there’s an adults only pool literally 50 metres round the corner where there are no children.
“This little girl who’s playing with her dad in the pool, she’s on his shoulders, she’s the best swimmer I’ve ever had in my life and she’s like five. I think it’s really wholesome and sweet.”
But when a woman arrived and set herself up with a tripod, she wasn’t happy that the stunning backdrop to the beautiful pool – a lush green landscape – was being “spoiled” by the family playing in it. “This f***** influencer pointed to the edge of the pool and was like: ‘Can you go over there?’,” raged the TikTokker.
“‘F*** off’. If you want a private pool to film content… go rent a villa.”
Much to the dismay of the holidaymaker, the “wholesome” family had moved when told and were now not fully enjoying themselves. “Now they’re really uncomfortable at the side of the pool, they’re not doing what they were doing anymore,” she said. “I’m so annoyed at this b****.”
This unnamed influencer isn’t the only one to annoy the public – earlier this year another content creator was slammed for asking a 12-year-old boy enjoying the sea view from Bondi’s famous Icebergs Pool in Australia to move so she could pose. TikTok users were quick to agree with Carly this time around, with one telling her: “My partner makes it his mission to cannonball all influencer shots”.
Holidays are all about having fun – until influencers get in the way(Image: Getty Images)
Another jaw dropping influencer story was shared in response to her video from a TikTokker called Jen, who said: “My fiance proposed to me on holiday and had paid for the hotel to set up an area with flowers, candles and MARRY ME lights. The area was blocked off with a sign saying ‘private event’.
“After he proposed, we sat drinking champagne and these two influencers came over and started taking photos next to us! One of them even moved the private event sign out of the way! So I told them where to go.”
“Influencers in the wild are the worst people ever,” added Carly of her original video. “You can’t tell children to move, it is the worst humanly thing I’ve ever seen anyone do.”
Thai PM refuses to be ‘bullied’ as tension flares in a long-running dispute that turned deadly last month.
Cambodia has threatened to halt imports of fruit and vegetables from Thailand unless its neighbour lifts border restrictions as tempers flare during a long-running dispute that turned deadly last month.
The ban will take effect if Thailand doesn’t lift all border crossing restrictions within 24 hours, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen said in a televised speech on Monday. The announcement followed weekend talks that had aimed to defuse the tensions.
“If the Thai side does not open border crossings to normalcy today, tomorrow, we will implement throughout the border a ban on the imports of fruit and vegetables to Cambodia,” said Hun Sen, a former prime minister and father of the current premier.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra retorted that her country would not be bullied or threatened and warned that “unofficial” communication would harm diplomatic efforts.
“Messages via unofficial channels do not bring good results for both countries,” she said after meeting Thai military commanders and officials from the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs.
The rhetoric and diplomatic efforts come after decades of arguments over border territories have flared up.
On May 28, soldiers exchanged fire in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet. A Cambodian soldier was killed during the skirmish.
The Thai and Cambodian armies both said they acted in self-defence but agreed to reposition their soldiers in a bid to avoid future confrontations. However, heightened tensions remain.
Bangkok has tightened border controls since the clash and threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to Cambodia.
Phnom Penh ordered troops on Friday to stay on “full alert” and announced it would cease buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce while also ordering local television stations not to screen Thai films.
Little progress
Amid the rise in diplomatic temperature, officials from the two countries met over the weekend in Phnom Penh to discuss their conflicting territorial claims.
While both sides said the meeting was held in a good atmosphere, it appears little progress was made.
The dispute dates back to the drawing of their 820km (510-mile) frontier, largely done during French colonial rule of Indochina from 1887 to 1954.
Parts of the land border are undemarcated and include ancient temples that both sides have contested for decades. The region has seen sporadic violence since 2008, resulting in at least 28 deaths.
Cambodia on Sunday formally asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to help resolve the dispute in four areas, including the site of last month’s clash and three others where ancient temples are located.
Cambodia has repeatedly asked Thailand to join the case, but Bangkok insists on a bilateral solution. It rejected a 2013 ICJ ruling that a disputed area next to the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia.
Both countries have agreed to participate in another round of meetings on border issues in Thailand in September.
The talks come after troops from the two countries exchanged fire last month, killing one Cambodian soldier.
Thailand says talks with neighbouring Cambodia had “made progress” in resolving a long-running border dispute that last month devolved into clashes, leading both countries to mobilise troops on the border.
A Thai delegation led by foreign ministry adviser Prasas Prasasvinitchai and a Cambodian contingent headed by Lam Chea, minister of state in charge of the Secretariat of Border Affairs, met on Saturday in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to try to resolve the spat.
The meeting came after troops from the two countries exchanged fire last month in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet, with one Cambodian soldier killed.
Thailand’s foreign ministry said the Joint Boundary Commission meeting had “made progress in building mutual understanding” between the two countries.
Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said in a news conference that “diplomatic dialogue remains the most effective way forward”, adding that talks would go into Sunday.
A resolution is not expected this weekend and it was unclear when the outcome would be announced.
The Thai and Cambodian armies both said they had acted in self-defence during the exchange of fire on May 28, but agreed to reposition their soldiers to avoid future confrontations.
In recent days, Thailand has tightened border controls with Cambodia, which in turn has asked its troops to stay on “full alert”.
Despite both countries pledging dialogue to handle the issue and calm nationalist fervour, Bangkok has threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to its neighbour.
Phnom Penh announced it would cease buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce. It has also ordered local television stations not to screen Thai films.
Filing complaint with ICJ
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia dates to the drawing of the 820-km (510-mile) frontier, largely done during the French occupation of Indo-China from 1887 to 1954. Parts of the land border are undemarcated and include ancient temples that both sides have contested for decades.
The region has seen sporadic violence since 2008, resulting in at least 28 deaths.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced earlier this month that Cambodia would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over four disputed border areas, including the site of the latest clash. Thailand, however, has insisted on a bilateral solution.
Hun Manet said in a Facebook post on Friday that the four areas and the border restrictions would not be discussed at Saturday’s talks, adding the government would send an official letter to the ICJ on Sunday on its plan to file the case.
“Cambodia awaits Thailand to clarify its official position at [Saturday’s] meeting on whether Thailand will join Cambodia in referring the four areas to the ICJ,” he said.
Influential former strongman premier Hun Sen, Hun Manet’s father, has criticised Thailand’s military for restricting border crossings and has accused generals and Thai nationalists of fanning the tensions.
“Only extremist groups and some military factions are behind these issues with Cambodia because, as usual, the Thai government is unable to control its military the way our country can,” he said late on Thursday.
The ICJ ruled in 2013 that a disputed area next to Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia, but Thailand says it does not accept the ICJ’s jurisdiction.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia escalated its cold war with Thailand on Friday when it announced a ban on Thai movies and TV shows and a boycott of the neighboring country’s international internet links.
Tensions between the Southeast Asian countries have soared since an armed confrontation in a border area on May 28 that each side blamed on the other and which left one Cambodian soldier dead.
Cambodian officials said the import and screenings of Thai movies would be banned, and that broadcasters would be ordered not to air Thai-produced shows, which include popular soap operas. The government said it would inflict a financial blow on Thailand by rerouting its international internet traffic through other countries instead.
Cambodian and Thai authorities engaged in saber-rattling last week, though they have since walked back much of their earlier statements emphasizing their right to take military action.
But they continue to implement or threaten measures short of armed force, keeping tensions high. Thailand has added restrictions at border crossings. Much of their war of words actually has appeared intended to mollify nationalistic critics on their own sides.
The confrontation reportedly took place in a relatively small “no man’s land” constituting territory along their border that both countries claim is theirs.
The area is closed to journalists, but it appears that both sides withdrew soon after the fatal confrontation to avoid further clashes, without explicitly conceding the fact in order to save face.
“Neither side wants to use the word ‘withdraw’. We say ‘adjust troop deployments’ as a gesture of mutual respect—this applies to both Cambodia and Thailand.” Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was quoted telling reporters this past week.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Friday on the Telegram social network that his government would act preemptively to establish self-reliance in response to exhortations by Thai nationalists to cut off electricity and internet connectivity to Cambodia.
Camboia’s Minister of Post and Telecommunication Chea Vandeth announced on his Facebook page that “all telecommunications operators in Cambodia have now disconnected all cross-border internet links with Thailand,” and that the move would deprive Thailand of as much as hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, a claim that could not be immediately checked.
The reported move to use circuits bypassing Thailand temporarily disrupted internet connectivity for users of at least one Cambodian service provider.
Thai officials said any plans to cut services to Cambodia were unrelated to the territorial conflict and would actually be targeting the infamous online scam centers in the Cambodian border town of Poipet that have been a problem for several years.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Fine Arts meanwhile informed all film distributors and cinemas owners that starting Friday, the import and screening of all Thai films must be immediately suspended.
Som Chhaya, deputy director general of a popular Cambodian TV channel, People Nation Network, told The Associated Press that his company will comply with another government order to drop Thai-produced shows, and in their place broadcast Chinese, Korean or Cambodian dramas.
Thai films and TV shows have a large audience in Cambodia.
Friday’s actions in Cambodia were taken one day ahead of a planned meeting in the capital Phnom Penh of the two countries’ Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary to help resolve the conflicting territorial claims that led to last month’s deadly confrontation.
There is a long history to their territorial disputes, Thailand is still rankled by a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands that awarded to Cambodia the disputed territory where the historic Preah Vihear temple stands. There were sporadic though serious clashes there in 2011, and the ruling was reaffirmed in 2023.
Bangkok, Thailand – A brief text message informed Chonlada Siangkong that she had lost her job at a solar cell factory in Rayong, eastern Thailand.
The factory operated by Standard Energy Co, a subsidiary of Singaporean solar cell giant GSTAR, shut its doors last month in anticipation of United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs on solar panel exports from Southeast Asia.
From Monday, US Customs and Border Protection will begin imposing tariffs ranging from 375 percent to more than 3,500 percent on imports from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia.
The punishing duties, introduced in response to alleged unfair trade practices by Chinese-owned factories in the region, have raised questions about the continuing viability of Southeast Asia’s solar export trade, the source of about 80 percent of solar products sold in the US.
Like thousands of other workers in Thailand and across the region, Chonlada, a 33-year-old mother of one, is suddenly facing a more precarious future amid the trade crackdown.
“We were all shocked. The next day, they told us not to come to work and would not pay for compensation,” Chonlada told Al Jazeera.
US officials say Chinese producers have used Southeast Asian countries to skirt tariffs on China and “dump” cheap solar panels in the US market, harming their businesses.
US trade officials have named Jinko Solar, Trina Solar, Taihua New Energy Hounen, Sunshine Electrical Energy, Runergy and Boviet – all of which have major operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia or Vietnam – as the worst offenders.
Solar panels are pictured on the roof of a building in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 9, 2017 [Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters]
Thai solar exports to the US were worth more than $3.7bn in 2023, just behind Vietnam at $3.9bn, according to the latest US trade data.
Standard Energy Co’s $300m facility in Rayong had been in operation for less than a year, producing its first solar cell to great fanfare in August.
“I’m baffled by what’s just happened,” Kanyawee, a production line manager at Standard Energy who asked to be referred to by his first name only, told Al Jazeera.
“New machines have just landed and we barely used them, they’re very costly too – a few million baht for each machine. They’ve also ordered tonnes of raw materials waiting to be produced.”
Ben McCarron, managing director of the risk consultancy Asia Research & Engagement, said Southeast Asian manufacturers are facing a serious hit from the US turn towards protectionism.
“There are suggestions that manufacturing might exit Southeast Asia entirely if tariffs are introduced either in a blanket way, or that specifically address Chinese-owned manufacturing capacity in the region,” McCarron told Al Jazeera.
“The implications are significant for these countries; Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia accounted for about 80 percent of the US’s solar imports in 2024,” McCarron said, adding that “some manufacturers have already begun shutting down and moving out of the region”.
Unfair advantage
US officials and businesses have accused China of giving its solar firms an unfair market advantage with subsidies.
China was the largest funder of clean energy in Southeast Asia between 2013 and 2023, pouring $2.7bn into projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, according to Zero Carbon Analytics.
The American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, a coalition of seven industry players, was among the loudest voices to lobby for a sharp rise in levies on Chinese imports.
Without a reprieve from the notoriously unpredictable Trump, companies affected by the tariffs have little recourse apart from the ability to file an appeal once a year, or after five years, once a “sunset review” clause takes effect.
Some observers believe the sector may never recover.
“It’s not just the low-skilled labour that was affected by the trade war; many workers in the solar cell supply chain are technicians, skilled labourers,” Tara Buakamsri, an adviser to environmental organisation Greenpeace, told Al Jazeera.
“Even if you make a lot of savings, solar cell exporters would still need to cut down on these skilled workers.”
Others take a more bullish view, arguing that, once the dust has settled, Chinese solar firms will drive the supply of products needed to meet regional emissions targets.
While Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam welcomed Chinese solar companies in part due to the large sums of up-front investment on offer, they are all also seeking to meet more of their energy needs with cleaner sources.
Before Trump entered office with his tariff agenda, Thailand had announced plans to become carbon neutral by 2050 and produce net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065.
Employees of a solar farm company take notes in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, on October 3, 2013 [Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters]
“A slowdown [or halt] in solar exports as a result of US tariffs may supercharge efforts in Southeast Asian markets by Chinese solar companies, which see the region as a critical and well-aligned destination for green technologies,” McCarron said.
“Leftover supply from slowing exports could be absorbed by domestic markets in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, particularly if governments use the situation as a cost-effective opportunity to rapidly accelerate policy initiatives that stimulate domestic solar.”
For Southeast Asia’s solar companies, survival is also likely to depend on governments cutting red tape and loosening the control of oil and gas monopolies over the energy mix.
At the same time, the US’s exclusion of Southeast Asian solar imports could hamper the shift towards greener energy in the world’s top economy.
“Thailand’s solar cell production is heavily export-driven and the US has historically been a major export destination,” Pavida Pananond, a professor of international business at Thammasat Business School in Bangkok, told Al Jazeera.
But solar tariffs will “also hurt American consumers and the green transition in the US as prices become higher”.
In a brief firefight at the end of May, a Cambodian soldier was killed along the countries’ shared border.
Thai and Cambodian forces are expected to return to their previously agreed-upon positions on the border after the two governments reinforced their military presence following an eruption of violence that killed a Cambodian soldier.
Thai Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Sunday that both sides hoped the thorny border issue could be fully resolved through a meeting on Saturday of the Joint Boundary Committee, which was set up to facilitate bilateral negotiations.
But Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn reiterated that his government had called on the International Court of Justice to resolve the border dispute.
“Given the complexity, historical nature and sensitivity of these disputes, it is increasingly evident that bilateral dialogue alone may no longer suffice to bring about a comprehensive and lasting solution,” Sokhonn said.
However, Thailand has said it does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction and proposes to settle the matter through bilateral negotiations.
The two countries have, for more than a century, contested sovereignty over undemarcated points along their shared border when France mapped out Cambodia in 1907 when it was a French colony.
Since 2008, when fighting first broke out over an 11th-century Hindu temple, bouts of violence have sporadically occurred, resulting in the deaths of at least 28 people.
In the most recent outbreak on May 28, a Cambodian soldier was killed in the disputed border region between Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province and Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.
While the Thai and Cambodian militaries agreed to quell tensions, Cambodia said it could keep its troops in the area despite Thailand urging it to leave.
On Saturday, the Thai army took control of the “opening and closing” of all border crossings it shares with Cambodia, referring to a “threat to Thailand’s sovereignty and security”.
Cambodian soldiers ride on a self-propelled multiple rocket launcher in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 28, 2025 [Kith Serey/EPA]
According to government data, Thailand operates 17 official border crossings along the shared 817km (508-mile) frontier.
Earlier on Sunday, the army shortened operating hours at 10 border crossings.
A MUM has shared how she ditched the UK for sunny Thailand with her kids and husband.
Lauren took to social media and shared why she left England and has no regrets in uprooting her family to South East Asia.
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Lauren left the UK and swapped it for sunny ThailandCredit: tiktok.com/@lifealongsidelauren
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Now they spend their days island hopping and relaxing by the beachCredit: tiktok.com/@lifealongsidelauren
The mum-of-two revealed that she and her family decided the cost of living and their busy schedule was too much.
Instead of putting up with it, they sold their house and bought a one-way ticket to Thailand for a new life.
She said: “We didn’t leave because we hated the UK.
“We left because life started to feel like one long checklist we didn’t remember choosing. Wake up. Rush. Work. Nursery. School. Bills. Repeat.
READ MORE REAL LIFE STORIES
“We wanted more presence, more connection, more sunsets and slow mornings.
“So we sold almost everything, booked a one-way ticket, and figured it out as we went.
“It’s not perfect, but it’s ours, and we’ve never felt more free.”
Lauren often shared her new life in Thailand on social media and recently shared one of their favourite breakfasts while they stayed in Koh Samui.
She headed to one of her favourite food vendors and ordered fried chicken and sticky rice before getting some Thai milk tea.
The mum even said that she thought the iced tea was better than English Breakfast tea.
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The stunning island is perfect for familiesCredit: Alamy
Gobsmacked shoppers watch on as hungry elephant raids Thai store and leaves with trunk full of snacks
The mum added: “Hands down they are better than an English breakfast tea. They’re sweet, they’re icy. They do give you that little tea fix.”
She said the next step to the perfect breakfast was to locate the nearest beach.
“The beach closest to our house here is Chong Mon. And if you are coming to Koh Samui, even just on holiday, I really recommend this area,” Lauren said.
“It’s kind of like a mix between touristy but not too touristy.
Moving house hacks
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“The beach here is so good for kids because the water is really shallow.”
Finally, she and her family sat down on the beach to enjoy their breakfast with a stunning view.
People were quick to take to the comments in awe of Lauren’s new life.
One person wrote: “Living the dream, I would swap my builders’ tea in England for yours any day of the week.”
Another commented: “I have been following for a while just wanted to say that because of you and your TikTok my future with my kids will look the same!”
“I haven’t seen your posts for ages, glad you’re still enjoying your new life,” penned a third.
Meanwhile a fourth said: “Brekkie on the beach..elite!”
“Love watching your adventures! We are coming to to Thailand in August and can’t wait,” claimed a fifth.
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai says Thailand reinforces military presence in response to Cambodia move.
Thailand has reinforced its military presence along a disputed border with Cambodia following an increase in troops on the other side, the Thai defence minister has said.
Tensions between the two Southeast Asian countries have been rising since a Cambodian soldier was killed on May 28 in a brief skirmish in an undemarcated border area.
Since the incident, the two governments have been exchanging carefully worded statements committing to dialogue.
Thailand’s Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who also serves as deputy prime minister, said on Saturday that Cambodia had rejected proposals in bilateral talks held on Thursday that could have led to a de-escalation.
“Furthermore, there has been a reinforcement of military presence, which has exacerbated tensions along the border,” Phumtham said in a statement.
“Consequently, the Royal Thai Government has deemed it necessary to implement additional measures and to reinforce our military posture accordingly.”
He did not provide further details on the extent of reinforcements by either side.
There was no immediate comment from Cambodia.
In a separate statement on Saturday, the Thai army said Cambodian civilians had also repeatedly made incursions into Thailand’s territory.
“These provocations, and the buildup of military forces, indicate a clear intent to use force,” the Thai army said, adding it would take control of all Thai checkpoints along the Cambodia border.
Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817km (508-mile) land border.
Tension escalated in 2008 over an 11th-century Hindu temple, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a weeklong exchange of artillery fire in 2011.
On Monday, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said the government would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the border dispute.
“Cambodia hopes that the Thai side will agree with Cambodia to jointly bring these issues to the International Court of Justice… to prevent armed confrontation again over border uncertainty,” Hun Manet said during a meeting between MPs and senators.
Thailand has not recognised the ICJ’s jurisdiction since 1960 and has instead called for bilateral talks.
Efforts have been made by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is the current chair of the Southeast Asian ASEAN bloc, and China to reduce tensions, but the border remains disputed.
A meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission – which addresses border demarcation issues – is scheduled for June 14.
Thailand’s military said it had gathered ‘worrisome’ indications that Cambodia has stepped up its military readiness.
Thailand’s military has said it is ready to launch a “high-level operation” to counter violations of its sovereignty, offering its strongest comments yet following the re-eruption of a long-running border dispute with Cambodia.
In a statement on Thursday night, the Thai military said its intelligence had gathered “worrisome” indications that Cambodia has stepped up its military readiness along their shared border.
“The army is now ready for a high-level military operation in case it is necessary to retaliate against the violation of sovereignty,” the statement said.
“Operations of units at the border have been conducted carefully, calmly and based on an understanding of the situation to prevent losses on all sides, but at the same time, are ready to defend the country’s sovereignty to the fullest extent if the situation is called for,” the statement added.
The top brass of Thailand’s armed forces are scheduled to hold a closed-door meeting on Friday afternoon, while the country’s army, navy and air force have also raised their combat readiness, according to the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS).
Colonel Chainarong Kasee, a commander of Thailand’s 12th infantry regiment of the Royal Guards, said his troops have been ordered to check that all equipment is in good working order, Thai PBS also reports.
On May 28, Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence said Thai troops shot and killed one of its soldiers during a brief firefight in a disputed border region between Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province and Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.
The ministry accused Thai soldiers of opening fire first on a Cambodian military post in the contested border zone. Thailand’s Minister of Defence Phumtham Wechayachai said Cambodian forces opened fire first.
The Southeast Asian neighbours have repeatedly clashed in Preah Vihear’s border region over the years, where a 900-year-old temple sits at the heart of a decades-long dispute that has stirred nationalist sentiment on both sides of the border.
Several deadly clashes took place in the area between 2008 – the year Cambodia registered the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and 2011, killing about 40 people, including five civilians.
A 2013 ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) upheld a 1962 judgement by the same body awarding part of the land around Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia and instructing Thailand to withdraw its personnel stationed in the area.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, the son of long-ruling former leader Hun Sen, has said Cambodia will file disputes over four parts of the border to the ICJ for adjudication and asked for Thailand’s cooperation in the process.
Thailand, which has not recognised the ICJ’s jurisdiction since 1960, has instead called for bilateral talks.
“Thailand and Cambodia already have existing bilateral mechanisms to address these issues,” Thailand’s government said in a statement.
“Thailand reiterates its position as a neighbour committed to resolving issues peacefully and based on international law, treaties, and agreements … as well as satellite imagery and other verified evidence,” the statement added.
A meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission – which addresses border demarcation issues – is slated for June 14.
Bokeo province, Laos – Khobby was living in Dubai last year when he received an intriguing message about a well-paying job working online in a far-flung corner of Southeast Asia.
The salary was good, he was told. He would be working on computers in an office.
The company would even foot the bill for his relocation to join the firm in Laos – a country of 7.6 million people nestled between China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.
With the company paying for his flights, Khobby decided to take the plunge.
But his landing in Laos was anything but smooth.
Khobby discovered that the promised dream job was rapidly becoming a nightmare when his Ghanaian passport was taken on arrival by his new employers.
With his passport confiscated and threats of physical harm ever present, he endured months working inside a compound which he could not leave.
The 21-year-old had become the latest victim of booming online cyber-scam operations in Southeast Asia – an industry that is believed to have enslaved tens of thousands of workers lured with the promise of decently paid jobs in online sales and the information technology industry.
“When I got there, I saw a lot of Africans in the office, with a lot of phones,” Khobby told Al Jazeera, recounting his arrival in Laos.
“Each person had 10 phones, 15 phones. That was when I realised this was a scamming job,” he said.
The operation Khobby found himself working for was in a remote area in northwest Laos, where a casino city has been carved out of a patch of jungle in the infamous “Golden Triangle” region – the lawless border zone between Myanmar, Laos and Thailand that has long been a centre for global drug production and trafficking.
He said he was forced to work long days and sleep in a dormitory with five other African workers at night during the months he spent at the scam centre in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.
Khobby recounted the original message he received from an acquaintance encouraging him to take the job in Laos.
“My company is hiring new staff”, he said, adding that he was told the salary was $1,200 per month.
“He told me it was data entry.”
People rescued from cyber-scam centres in Myanmar travel inside a Thai military truck after arriving in Thailand, at the Myanmar-Thai border in Phop Phra district, near Mae Sot, Tak province, northern Thailand, in February 2025 [Somrerk Kosolwitthayanant/EPA]
Casino city
The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) where Khobby was lured to for work operates as an autonomous territory within Laos.
Leased from Laotian authorities by Chinese national Zhao Wei, whom the US government has designated the leader of a transnational criminal organisation, life in the GTSEZ is monitored by a myriad of security cameras and protected by its own private security force.
Clocks are set to Beijing time. Signage is predominantly in Chinese, and China’s yuan is the dominant and preferred currency.
Central to the GTSEZ city-state is Zhao Wei’s Kings Romans casino, which the United States Treasury also described as a hub for criminal activity such as money laundering, narcotics and wildlife trafficking.
During a recent visit to the zone by Al Jazeera, Rolls Royce limousines ferried gamblers to some of the city’s casinos while workers toiled on the construction of an elaborate and expansive Venice-style waterway just a stone’s throw from the Mekong river.
Vehicles stop at the the entrance to the Kings Romans casino, part of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, in Laos along the Mekong river in the Golden Triangle region bordering Thailand, Laos and Myanmar [File: Sukree Sukplang/Reuters]
While luxury construction projects – including the recently completed Bokeo International Airport – speak to the vast amounts of money flowing through this mini casino city, it is inside the grey, nondescript tower blocks dotted around the economic zone where the lucrative online scam trade occurs.
Within these tower blocks, thousands of trafficked workers from all over the world – just like Khobby – are reported to spend up to 17 hours a day working online to dupe unsuspecting “clients” into parting with their money.
The online swindles are as varied as investing money in fake business portfolios to paying false tax bills that appear very real and from trading phoney cryptocurrency to being caught in online romance traps.
Anti-trafficking experts say most of the workers are deceived into leaving their home countries – such are nearby China, Thailand and Indonesia or as far away as Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Ethiopia – with the promise of decent salaries.
New high-rise buildings are being constructed rapidly in the GTSEZ in Laos [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]
Online ‘butchering’
Khobby told how his “data entry” job was, in fact, a scam known in the cybercrime underworld as “pig butchering”.
This is where victims are identified, cold-called or messaged directly by phone in a bid to establish a relationship. Trust is built up over time to the point where an initial investment is made by the intended victim. This can be, at first, a small amount of the victim’s money or emotions in the case of fake online relationships.
There are small rewards on the investments, Khobby explained, telling how those in the industry refer to their victims as pigs who are being “fattened” by trust built up with the scammers.
That fattening continues until a substantial monetary investment is made in whatever scam the victim has become part of. Then they are swiftly “butchered”, which is when the scammers get away with the ill-gotten gains taken from their victims.
Once the butchering is done, all communications are cut with the victims and the scammers disappear without leaving a digital trace.
Myanmar police hand over five telecom and internet fraud suspects to Chinese police at Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, in August 2023 [Chinese embassy in Myanmar/Xinhua via AP]
According to experts, cyber-scamming inside the GTSEZ boomed during the 2019 and 2020 COVID lockdowns when restrictions on travel meant international visitors could not access the Kings Romans casino.
In the years since, the cyber-scam industry has burgeoned, physically transcended borders to become one of the dominant profit-making illicit activities in the region, not only in the GTSEZ in Laos but also in neighbouring Cambodia and in conflict-ridden Myanmar.
Though not as elaborate as the GTSEZ, purpose-built cyber-scam “compounds” have proliferated in Myanmar’s border areas with Thailand.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that cyber-scamming in Southeast Asia generates tens of billions annually, while the United States Institute of Peace equates the threat to that of the destructive fentanyl trade.
“Cyber-scam operations have significantly benefitted from developments in the fintech industry, including cryptocurrencies, with apps being directly developed for use at [cyber-scam] compounds to launder money,” said Kristina Amerhauser, of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.
“Victims and perpetrators are spread across different countries, money is laundered offshore, operations are global,” Amerhauser told Al Jazeera, explaining that the sophisticated technology used in cyber-scamming, along with its international reach, has made it extremely difficult to combat.
The US recently imposed sanctions on Myanmar rebel leader Saw Chit Thu (centre), his two sons and the armed group he leads, the Karen National Army. The US Treasury said Saw Chit Thu and the KNU, which is based in Shwe Kokko – a so-called “Special Economic Zone” along the Thai-Myanmar border – leased land and provided security for online scam compounds [Reuters]
Complicit victims?
About 260 trafficked scam-centre workers were recently rescued in a cross-border operation between Thailand and Myanmar. Yet, even in rare instances such as this when trafficked workers are freed, they still face complications due to their visa status and their own potential complicity in criminal activity.
Khobby – who is now back in Dubai – told Al Jazeera that while he was coerced into working in the GTSEZ, he did actually receive the promised $1,200 monthly salary, and he had even signed a six-month “contract” with the Chinese bosses who ran the operation.
Richard Horsey, International Crisis Group’s senior adviser on Myanmar, said Khobby’s experience reflected a changing trend in recruitment by the criminal organisations running the scam centres.
“Some of the more sophisticated gangs are getting out of the human trafficking game and starting to trick workers to come,” Horsey said.
“People don’t like to answer an advert for criminal scamming, and it’s hard to advertise that. But once they’re there, it’s like – actually, we will pay you. We may have taken your passport, but there is a route to quite a lucrative opportunity here and we will give you a small part of that,” he said.
In this photo provided by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Indian workers rescued after they were lured by fake job opportunities in the IT sector in Thailand arrive at the airport in Chennai, India, in October 2022 [Ministry of External Affairs via AP]
The issue of salaries paid to coerced and enslaved workers complicates efforts to repatriate trafficking victims, who may be considered complicit criminals due to their status as “paid” workers in the scam centres, said Eric Heintz, from the US-based anti-trafficking organisation International Justice Mission (IJM).
“We know of individuals being paid for the first few months they were inside, but then it tapers off to the point where they are making little – if any – money,” Heintz said, describing how victims become “trapped in this cycle of abuse unable to leave the compound”.
“This specific aspect was a challenge early on with the victim identity process – when an official would ask if an individual previously in the scam compound was paid, the victim would answer that initially he or she was. That was enough for some officials to not identify them as victims,” Heintz said.
Some workers have also been sold between criminal organisations and moved across borders to other scam centres, he said.
“We have heard of people being moved from a compound in one country to one in another – for example from Myawaddy to the GTSEZ or Cambodia and vice versa,” he said.
Khobby said many of the workers in his “office” had already had experience with scamming in other compounds and in other countries.
“Most of them had experience. They knew the job already,” he said.
“This job is going on in a lot of places – Thailand, Laos, Myanmar. They were OK because they got paid. They had experience and they knew what they were doing,” he added.
‘What are we here for? Money!’
High-school graduate Jojo said she was working as a maid in Kampala, Uganda, when she received a message on the Telegram messaging app about an opportunity in Asia that involved being sponsored to do computer studies as part of a job in IT.
“I was so excited,” Jojo recounted, “I told my mum about the offer.”
Jojo told how she was sent an airline ticket, and described how multiple people met her along the way as she journeyed from Kampala to Laos. Eventually Jojo arrived in the same scam operation as Khobby.
She described an atmosphere similar to a fast-paced sales centre, with Chinese bosses shouting encouragement when a victim had been ‘butchered’ and their money stolen, telling how she witnessed people scammed for as much as $200,000.
“They would shout a lot, in Chinese – ‘What are we here for? Money!’”
On top of adrenaline, the scam operation also ran on fear, Jojo said.
Workers were beaten if they did not meet targets for swindling money. Mostly locked inside the building where she worked and lived; Jojo said she was only able to leave the scam operation once in the four months she was in the GTSEZ, and that was to attend a local hospital after falling ill.
Fear of the Chinese bosses who ran the operation not only permeated their workstations but in the dormitory where they slept.
“They told us ‘Whatever happens in the room, we are listening’,” she said, also telling how her co-workers were beaten when they failed to meet targets.
“They stopped them from working. They stopped them from coming to get food. They were not getting results. They were not bringing in the money they wanted. So they saw them as useless,” she said.
“They were torturing them every day.”
Khobby and Jojo said they were moved to act in case it was their turn next.
When they organised a strike to demand better treatment, their bosses brought in Laotian police and several of the strikers – including Jojo and Khobby – were taken to a police station where they were told they were sacked.
They were also told they would not be paid what was owed in wages and their overseers refused to give their passports back.
Khobby said he was left stranded without a passport and the police refused to help.
“This is not about only the Chinese people,” Khobby said. “Even in Vientiane, they have immigration offices who are involved. They are the ones giving the visas. When I got to Laos, it was the immigration officer who was waiting for me. I didn’t even fill out any form,” he said.
The international immigration checkpoint in the GTSEZ [Al Jazeera/Ali MC]
With help from the Ghanaian embassy, Khobby and Jojo were eventually able to retrieve their passports, and with assistance from family and friends, they returned home.
The IJM’s Heintz, said that target countries for scammer recruitment – such as those in Africa – need better awareness of the dangers of trafficking.
“There needs to be better awareness at the source country level of the dangers associated with these jobs,” he said.
Reflecting on what led him to work up the courage to lead a strike in the scam centre, Khobby considered his childhood back in Ghana.
“I was a boy who was raised in a police station. My grandpa was a police commander. So in that aspect, I’m very bold, I have that courage. I like giving things a try and I like taking risks,” he said.
Jojo told Al Jazeera how she continues to chat online with friends who are still trapped in scam centres in Laos, and who have told her that new recruits arrive each day in the GTSEZ.
Her friends want to get out of the scam business and the economic zone in Laos. But it is not so easy to leave, Jojo said.
Cambodian and Thai officials claim soldiers from other side opening fire first in latest deadly border clash between the neighbours.
Cambodia’s leader has called for calm in the country a day after a soldier was killed in a brief clash with troops from neighbouring Thailand, in a disputed zone along the Thai-Cambodia border.
In a written statement on Thursday, Prime Minister Hun Manet said people should not “panic over unverified material being circulated”, and reassured the country that he did not want a conflict between Cambodian and Thai forces.
“For this reason, I hope that the upcoming meeting between the Cambodian and Thai army commanders will produce positive results to preserve stability and good military communication between the two countries, as we have done in the past,” said Hun Manet, who is currently on a visit to Tokyo.
“Even though I am in Japan … the command system and hierarchy for major military operations such as troop movements remain under my full responsibility as prime minister,” he added.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence said on Wednesday that one of its soldiers was killed in a brief firefight with Thai troops, in a disputed border region between the country’s Preah Vihear province and Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.
The ministry accused Thai soldiers of opening fire first on a Cambodian military post that had long existed in the contested border zone.
Cambodian soldiers ride on a self-propelled multiple rocket launcher in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 28, 2025, as tension ramps up with Thailand [Kith Serey/EPA]
However, Thailand’s Minister of Defence Phumtham Wechayachai said Cambodian forces in the area had opened fire first, adding they had previously dug a trench in the area in an effort to assert Cambodia’s claim over the disputed territory, local media reported.
“I have been informed that the return fire was necessary to defend ourselves and protect Thailand’s sovereignty. I have instructed caution. Although the ceasefire holds, both sides continue to face each other,” the minister said, according to Thailand’s The Nation newspaper.
The Nation also reported that Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra spoke with her counterpart, Hun Manet, and both were working to lower the temperature on the dispute.
“We don’t want this to escalate,” the Thai prime minister was quoted as saying.
Cambodia and Thailand have a long history of disputes along their mutual border, including armed clashes that broke out in 2008 near Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Temple, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site that year. Fighting also broke out along the border in 2011.
The Associated Press news agency reports that in February, Cambodian troops and their family members entered an ancient temple along the border and sang the Cambodian national anthem, leading to a brief argument with Thai troops.
The incident was recorded on video and went viral on social media.
UN Office on Drugs and Crime says ‘explosive growth’ in synthetic drug trade led to record seizures of methamphetamine in East and Southeast Asia in 2024.
Drug production and trafficking has surged in the infamous “Golden Triangle“, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has warned in a new report on the scale of the regional trade in synthetic drugs.
The UNODC said a record 236 tonnes of methamphetamine were seized last year in the East and Southeast Asia regions, marking a 24 percent increase in the amount of the narcotic seized compared with the previous year.
While Thailand became the first country in the region to seize more than 100 tonnes of methamphetamine in a single year last year – interdicting a total of 130 tonnes – trafficking of the drug from Myanmar’s lawless Shan State is rapidly expanding in Laos and Cambodia, the UNODC said.
“The 236 tons represent only the amount seized; much more methamphetamine is actually reaching the market,” the UNODC’s acting regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Benedikt Hofmann, said in a statement.
“While these seizures reflect, in part, successful law enforcement efforts, we are clearly seeing unprecedented levels of methamphetamine production and trafficking from the Golden Triangle, in particular Shan State,” Hofmann said.
Transnational drug gangs operating in East and Southeast Asia are also showing “remarkable agility” in countering attempts by regional law enforcement to crack down on the booming trade in synthetic drugs.
Myanmar’s grinding civil war, which erupted in mid-2021, has also provided favourable conditions for an expansion of the drug trade.
“Since the military takeover in Myanmar in February 2021, flows of drugs from the country have surged across not only East and Southeast Asia, but also increasingly into South Asia, in particular Northeast India,” the report states.
The UNODC’s Inshik Sim, the lead analyst for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said countries neighbouring Myanmar are becoming key trafficking routes for drugs produced in the Golden Triangle.
“The trafficking route connecting Cambodia with Myanmar, primarily through Laos PDR, has been rapidly expanding,” Sim said, using the acronym that is part of Laos’s official name, the People’s Democratic Republic.
“Another increasingly significant corridor involves maritime trafficking routes linking Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with Sabah in Malaysia serving as a key transit hub,” he said.
Evolving, cell-based transnational organized crime groups based in East and #SoutheastAsia are increasingly adopting technologies across the entire drug supply chain while converging with other organized crime activities.
— UNODC Southeast Asia-Pacific (@UNODC_SEAP) May 28, 2025
The UNODC report also notes that while most countries in the region have reported an overall increase in the use of methamphetamine and ketamine – a powerful sedative – the number of drug users in the older age group has grown in some nations.
“Some countries in the region, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, have reported consecutive increases in the number of older drug users, while the number of younger users has declined,” the UNODC report states, adding that the age trend needed to be studied further.
The UNODC’s Hofmann said the decline in the number of younger drug users admitted for treatment may be due to targeted drug use prevention campaigns.
“It will be key for the region to increase investment in both prevention and supply reduction strategies,” he added.
Bangkok, Thailand – Over several years in the mid-1960s, the crumbling ruins of an ancient temple in northeast Thailand were picked clean by local looters.
Possibly hundreds of centuries-old statues that were long buried beneath the soft, verdant grounds around the temple were stolen.
To this day, all the known artefacts from the pillaging spree, collectively known as the Prakhon Chai hoard, sit scattered thousands of miles away in museums and collections across the United States, Europe and Australia.
In a matter of weeks, though, the first of those statues will begin their journey home to Thailand.
The acquisitions committee of San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum recommended the release last year of four bronze statues from the hoard, which had been held in its collection since the late 1960s.
San Francisco city’s Asian Art Commission, which manages the museum, then approved the proposal on April 22, officially setting the pieces free.
Some six decades after the late British antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford is suspected of spiriting the statues out of the country, they are expected to arrive back in Thailand within a month or two.
“We are the righteous owners,” Disapong Netlomwong, senior curator for the Office of National Museums at Thailand’s Fine Arts Department, told Al Jazeera.
“It is something that our ancestors … have made, and it should be exhibited here to show the civilisation and the belief of the people,” said Disapong, who also serves on Thailand’s Committee for the Repatriation of Stolen Artefacts.
The imminent return of the statues is the latest victory in Thailand’s quest to reclaim its pilfered heritage.
Their homecoming also exemplifies the efforts of countries across the world to retrieve pieces of their own stolen history that still sit in display cases and in the vaults of some of the West’s top museums.
The Golden Boy statue on display at the National Museum Bangkok, Thailand, following its return last year from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art [Zsombor Peter/Al Jazeera]
From Thai temples to the Acropolis in Athens
Latchford, a high-profile Asian art dealer who came to settle in Bangkok and lived there until his death in 2020 at 88 years of age, is believed to have earned a fortune from auction houses, private collectors and museums around the world who acquired his smuggled ancient artefacts from Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia.
In 2021, Latchford’s daughter, Nawapan Kriangsak, agreed to return her late father’s private collection of more than 100 artefacts, valued at more than $50m, to Cambodia.
Though never convicted during his lifetime, Latchford was charged with falsifying shipping records, wire fraud and a host of other crimes related to antiquities smuggling by a US federal grand jury in 2019.
He died the following year, before the case against him could go to trial.
In 2023 the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York agreed to return 16 pieces tied to Latchford’s smuggling network to Cambodia and Thailand.
Ricky Patel of the New York field office of the Department of Homeland Security, delivers remarks during an announcement of the repatriation and return to Cambodia of 30 Cambodian antiquities sold to US collectors and institutions by Douglas Latchford and seized by the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, New York City, United States, in August 2022 [Andrew Kelly/Reuters]
San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum has also previously returned pieces to Thailand – two intricately carved stone lintels taken from a pair of temples dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries, in 2021.
While Thailand and Cambodia have recently fared relatively well in efforts to reclaim their looted heritage from US museum collections, Greece has not had such luck with the British Museum in London.
Perhaps no case of looted antiquities has grabbed more news headlines than that of the so-called “Elgin Marbles”.
The 2,500-year-old friezes, known also as the Parthenon Marbles, were hacked off the iconic Acropolis in Athens in the early 1800s by agents of Lord Elgin, Britain’s ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which controlled Greece at that time.
Elgin claimed he took the marbles with the permission of the Ottomans and then sold them in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they remain.
Greece has been demanding the return of the artefacts since the country’s declaration of independence in 1832 and sent an official request to the museum in 1983, according to the nongovernmental Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy.
“Despite all these efforts, the British government has not deviated from its positions over the years, legally considering the Parthenon marbles to belong to Britain. They have even passed laws to prevent the return of cultural artefacts,” the institute said.
A woman looks at the Parthenon Marbles, a collection of stone objects, inscriptions and sculptures, on show at the British Museum in London in 2014 [File: Dylan Martinez/Reuters]
‘Colonialism is still alive and well’
Tess Davis, executive director of the Antiquities Coalition, a Washington-based nonprofit campaigning against the illicit trade of ancient art and artefacts, said that “colonialism is still alive and well in parts of the art world”.
“There is a mistaken assumption by some institutions that they are better carers, owners, custodians of these cultural objects,” Davis told Al Jazeera.
But Davis, who has worked on Cambodia’s repatriation claims with US museums, says the “custodians” defence has long been debunked.
“These antiquities were cared for by [their] communities for centuries, in some cases for millennia, before there was … a market demand for them, leading to their looting and trafficking, but we still do see resistance,” she said.
Brad Gordon, a lawyer representing the Cambodian government in its ongoing repatriation of stolen artefacts, has heard museums make all sorts of claims to defend retaining pieces that should be returned to their rightful homelands.
Excuses from museums include claiming that they are not sure where pieces originated from; that contested items were acquired before laws banned their smuggling; that domestic laws block their repatriation, or that the ancient pieces deserve a more global audience than they would receive in their home country.
Still, none of those arguments should keep a stolen piece from coming home, Gordon said.
“If we believe the object is stolen and the country of origin wishes for it to come home, then the artefact should be returned,” he said.
Old attitudes have started breaking down though, and more looted artefacts are starting to find their way back to their origins.
“There’s definitely a growing trend toward doing the right thing in this area, and … I hope that more museums follow the Asian Art Museum’s example. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go,” Davis said.
The Kneeling Lady on display at the National Museum Bangkok, Thailand, following its return last year from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art [Zsombor Peter/Al Jazeera]
Much of the progress, Davis believes, is down to growing media coverage of stolen antiquities and public awareness of the problem in the West, which has placed mounting pressure on museums to do the right thing.
In 2022, the popular US comedy show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver dedicated a whole episode to the topic. As Oliver said, if you go to Greece and visit the Acropolis you might notice “some odd details”, such as sections missing from sculptures – which are now in Britain.
“Honestly, if you are ever looking for a missing artefact, nine times out of 10 it’s in the British Museum,” Oliver quips.
Gordon also believes a generational shift in thinking is at play among those who once trafficked in the cultural heritage of other countries.
“For example, the children of many collectors, once they are aware of the facts of how the artefacts were removed from the country of origin, want their parents to return them,” he said.
Proof of the past
The four bronze statues the San Francisco museum will soon be returning to Thailand date back to the 7th and 9th centuries.
Thai archaeologist Tanongsak Hanwong said that period places them squarely in the Dvaravati civilisation, which dominated northeast Thailand, before the height of the Khmer empire that would build the towering spires of Angkor Wat in present-day Cambodia and come to conquer much of the surrounding region centuries later.
Three of the slender, mottled figures, one nearly a metre tall (3.2 feet), depict Bodhisattva – Buddhist adherents on the path to nirvana – and the other the Buddha himself in a wide, flowing robe.
Tanongsak, who brought the four pieces in the San Francisco collection to the attention of Thailand’s stolen artefacts repatriation committee in 2017, said they and the rest of the Prakhon Chai hoard are priceless proof of Thailand’s Buddhist roots at a time when much of the region was still Hindu.
“The fact that we do not have any Prakhon Chai bronzes on display anywhere [in Thailand], in the national museum or local museums whatsoever, it means we do not have any evidence of the Buddhist history of that period at all, and that’s strange,” he said.
Plai Bat II temple in Buriram province, Thailand, from where the Prakhon Chai hoard was looted in the 1960s, as seen in 2016 [Courtesy of Tanongsak Hanwong]
The Fine Arts Department first wrote to San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum about the statues’ illicit provenance in 2019, but started to make progress on having them returned only when the US Department of Homeland Security got involved on Thailand’s behalf.
Robert Mintz, the museum’s chief curator, said staff could find no evidence that the statues had been trafficked in their own records.
But they were convinced they had been looted and smuggled out of Thailand – and of Latchford’s involvement – once Homeland Security provided proof, with the help of Thai researchers.
“Once that evidence was presented and they heard it, their feeling was the appropriate place for these would be back in Thailand,” Mintz said of the museum’s staff and acquisition committee.
‘Pull back the curtain’
The San Francisco Asian Art Museum went a step further when it finally resolved to return the four statues to Thailand.
It also staged a special exhibit around the pieces to highlight the very questions the experience had raised regarding the theft of antiquities.
The exhibition – Moving Objects: Learning from Local and Global Communities – ran in San Francisco from November to March.
“One of our goals was to try to indicate to the visiting public to the museum how important it is to look historically at where works of art have come from,” Mintz said.
“To pull back the curtain a bit, to say, these things do exist within American collections and now is the time to address challenges that emerge from past collecting practice,” he said.
Mintz says Homeland Security has asked the Asian Art Museum to look into the provenance of at least another 10 pieces in its collection that likely came from Thailand.
Thai dancers perform during a ceremony to return two stolen hand-carved sandstone lintels dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries to the Thai government in 2021, in Los Angeles, the US. The artefacts had been exhibited at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum [Ashley Landis/AP]
Tess Davis, of the Antiquities Coalition campaign group, said the exhibition was a very unusual, and welcome, move for a museum in the process of giving up looted artefacts.
In Thailand, Disapong and Tanongsak say the Asian Art Museum’s decision to recognise Thailand’s rightful claim to the statues could also help them start bringing the rest of the Prakhon Chai hoard home, including 14 more known pieces in other museums around the US, and at least a half-dozen scattered across Europe and Australia.
“It is indeed a good example, because once we can show the world that the Prakhon Chai bronzes were all exported from Thailand illegally, then probably, hopefully some other museums will see that all the Prakhon Chai bronzes they have must be returned to Thailand as well,” Tanongsak said.
There are several other artefacts besides the Prakhon Chai hoard that Thailand is also looking to repatriate from collections around the world, he said.
Davis said the repatriation of stolen antiquities is still being treated by too many with collections as an obstacle when it should be seen, as the Asian Art Museum has, as an opportunity.
“It’s an opportunity to educate the public,” Davis said.
“It’s an opportunity to build bridges with Southeast Asia,” she added, “and I hope other institutions follow suit.”
THE distraught father of drugs charge teenager Bella Culley has vowed to stand by his daughter – amid new fears Far East drugs gangs are targeting British backpackers.
Bella, 18, is on remand in a grim jail following her arrest in Georgia’s Tbilisi airport with a suitcase of cannabis after going missing 4,000 miles away in Thailand.
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Bella’s dad Niel, who flew to Tbilisi last week, told The Sun he ‘will be here for as long as it takes’Credit: Paul Edwards
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Bella revealed in court that she was ‘in love’ with a mystery man and that she is pregnantCredit: Facebook
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Niel and Bella’s aunt Kerry Culley pictured after their meeting with Bella’s lawyer La ToduaCredit: Paul Edwards
Bella’s flight took off from the same Bangkok airport within hours of another pretty British trafficking suspect arrested with £1.2 million of a cannabis-related drug in Sri Lanka.
Former air stewardess Charlotte May Lee, 21, was in a gruesome Sri Lankan jail cell last night awaiting a court appearance.
Their arrests have sparked fears that Thai gangs may be hoodwinking vulnerable British backpackers into ferrying their drugs after a crackdown on postal trafficking.
Bella was facing at least nine months on remand in a grim Soviet-era jail alongside hardened criminals.
She had joked online of “Bonnie and Clyde” hijinks while showing off cash wads in the Far East and was pictured smoking a spliff.
Bella’s family from Billingham, County Durham are convinced she was preyed upon after flying to the Far East to party with a mystery man feared to have hooked her up with drugs runners.
Her dad Niel – a Vietnam-based oil rig electrician – flew to Tbilisi last week desperate for answers after tearful Bella told a court that she was pregnant.
But he has yet to meet his daughter within the drab confines of No5 Women’s Penitentiary on the outskirts of the Georgian capital and remains baffled by her plight.
Asked about his plans after arriving in Tbilisi, Mr Culley, 49, told The Sun today: “I can’t say anything but I will be here for as long as it takes.
“I obviously have no experience in dealing with situations like this and it’s very difficult.”
Pregnant ‘smuggler’ Bella Culley faces raising her child in grim ex-Soviet prison
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Bella from Billingham, County Durham, was seen in court in Tbilisi after being detained on suspicion of carrying 14kg of cannabisCredit: East2West
Appearing shaky as he puffed on a cigarette, the anxious dad at one point appeared ready to make a statement when asked how his daughter was bearing up in prison.
But he broke off to confer with Bella’s aunt Kerrie Culley – who is supporting him in Georgia – and returned shaking his head.
He added: “I’m being advised by the British Embassy and can’t comment at the moment.
“But that may change in the future depending on what happens.”
Fears are growing that a Thai drugs gang is preying on British backpackers this summer as Charlotte became the second Brit flying out of Bangkok to be arrested within days.
She was detained at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka on Monday – the day after Bella’s arrest – where police say she had a huge stash of kush – a synthetic strain of cannabis.
Charlotte from Chipstead, Surrey was last night locked in a cell with 20 other prisoners with barely room to lie down as she awaited a court hearing.
Bella took off first from Bangkok on a 20-hour flight via Sharjah in the UAE to Georgia while Charlotte left later on a three-hour direct flight to Sri Lanka.
Both girls departed from the Thai capital during the Royal Ploughing Ceremony weekend – one of the busiest festivals of the year when airports are crammed with tourists.
It is believed to have provided a prime opportunity for traffickers to operate mules – particularly attractive young Britons who arouse less suspicion.
The two arrests follow a huge crackdown on smugglers sending cannabis to the UK by post.
A joint operation by both countries has seen a 90 per cent in reduction in the drug being mailed to Britain since last year.
It suggests Thai gangs may now be reverting to using drug mules to ship their products instead – and targeting British backpackers.
Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022 which sparked a massive rise in the narcotic being posted to Britain.
The law change allowed traffickers to hoodwink trippers into believing transporting it was legal.
Thai checks of mail being shipped stopped 1.5 tonnes in the first quarter of this year – a 90 percent drop in the illicit cargo – in a drive which frustrated the gangs.
Some 800 people including 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted smuggling since July 2024 with over nine tonnes of cannabis seized.
Retired Georgian police chief General Jemal Janashia voiced concerns that backpackers were being targeted yesterday.
He said: “The fact that two young British women have taken off with large quantities of drugs from the same airport will interest investigators.
“They will be concerned about the possibility of a link and that Thai gangs may be attempting to recruit vulnerable British travellers.
“After the crackdown on postal drug deliveries, the Thai cartel are seeking new routes and Georgia does look like an attractive middle transit point.
“It’s relatively close, and easy to reach Europe and is visa free to European travellers.”
He added: “I feel sorry for this woman because she was clearly used and manipulated. She’s 18, she’s a foreigner, pregnant.
“All of this indicates that she was chosen deliberately, chosen carefully, she was studied.
“Whoever chose her, they knew what they were doing.”
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A female prison near Tbilsi, Georgia where suspected Brit drug mule Bella Culley is being heldCredit: .
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The exterior of Tbilisi Prison No.5, which is Georgia’s only female prisonCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
![The international immigration checkpoint in the GTSEZ [Al Jazeera/Ali MC]](https://www.occasionaldigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/GTSEZ-6-1-1748330770.jpg)
![The Golden Boy statue on display at the National Museum Bangkok, Thailand, following its return last year from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art [Zsombor Peter/Al Jazeera]](https://www.occasionaldigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Gold-Boy-2-1747982889.jpg)
![The Kneeling Lady on display at the National Museum Bangkok, Thailand, following its return last year from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art [Zsombor Peter/Al Jazeera]](https://www.occasionaldigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Knee-Lady-1747982733.jpg)
![Plai Bat 2 temple in Buriram province, Thailand, from where the Prakhon Chai hoard was looted in the 1960s, as seen in 2016 [Courtesy of Tanongsak Hanwong]](https://www.occasionaldigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Temple-2-1747983054.jpg)
