Visitor numbers at Phanom Rung and Muang Tam temples have fallen by nearly 80% since renewed clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops erupted on Dec. 8.
BURIRAM — Ongoing unrest along the Thai-Cambodian border has sharply reduced tourist numbers at two major historical sites in northeastern Thailand, despite officials insisting the areas remain safe.
Visitor numbers at Phanom Rung and Muang Tam temples have dropped by nearly 80% since renewed clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops began on Dec. 8, according to local authorities. The decline has hit local vendors hard, forcing many to halt sales entirely.
The two Khmer-era temples are located in Chaloem Phra Kiat and Prakhon Chai districts of Buriram province, outside the immediate conflict zone. However, concerns over security — particularly among foreign tourists — have kept visitors away.
Pan Boonthawee, 74, a vendor at Phanom Rung, said tourist traffic has all but disappeared. She said she was previously forced to stop selling goods for five days during an earlier flare-up in July, but this time the impact has been worse due to the prolonged fighting. She urged both sides to end the clashes so livelihoods can recover.
Some tourists, however, say they are not deterred. Natkrit Wacharajarakul, a visitor from Ratchaburi province, said he traveled to Phanom Rung to pray for good fortune before the New Year. He said he was not concerned about safety, adding that authorities would restrict access if the area were dangerous.
Napasit Boonlom, head of the Phanom Rung Historical Park, said the site typically receives about 8,000 visitors per week. That number has fallen to roughly 1,900 since the unrest began, with foreign tourists largely absent.
He said both Phanom Rung and nearby Muang Tam temple, located about 6 kilometers apart, are not in designated high-risk zones and have been deemed safe by military authorities. Visitors can continue to travel to the sites as usual, he added.
Four baby orangutans sit in a transport cage at Wildlife Rescue Center No. 3 in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025.
RATCHABURI — Thailand is returning four baby orangutans to Indonesia on Monday, nearly a year after authorities seized them from suspected wildlife traffickers in separate operations.
Thai and Indonesian officials conducted final health checks on the orangutans at Wildlife Rescue Center No. 3 in Ratchaburi Province ahead of their departure, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced.
The four orangutans — two males and two females — were confiscated in January and May from illegal smuggling operations. Three were seized in Chumphon Province in January, while another was recovered during a sting operation in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district in May. A second orangutan from the Bangkok case died.
Thai officials named the animals J, Raikhing, Noon and Bow during their care.
Indonesian veterinarians examined the orangutans and recommended transporting them in three crates to minimize stress. The two males will travel in separate crates while the two females will share one, officials said. The orangutans are scheduled to depart Suvarnabhumi Airport on Garuda Indonesia flight GA867 to Jakarta on Tuesday morning, December 23.
Saduedee Panbhakdee, director of the Wildlife and Plant Convention Protection Division, said the repatriation represents cooperation between Thailand and Indonesia under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Thai and Indonesian officials pose for a photo at Wildlife Rescue Center No. 3 in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, following final health checks on four orangutans being repatriated to Indonesia.
Orangutans are listed in CITES Appendix 1, which prohibits all commercial international trade. Thailand has seized orangutans six times between 2016 and 2025, caring for 74 animals total.
Thailand last returned three orangutans to Indonesia in December 2023 after nearly seven years of care.
Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow speaks during a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, after a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers to discuss an ongoing border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. (AP photo/Azneal Ishak)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Thailand and Cambodia will resume talks later this week to work toward a more durable ceasefire along their border, Thailand’s foreign minister said Monday, stressing that progress depends on detailed bilateral negotiations rather than public declarations that internationalize the dispute.
A ceasefire agreement in October was rushed to ensure it could be witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump and lacked sufficient details to ensure the deal to end the armed conflict would hold, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Monday after an Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
While Cambodia has publicy said it is ready for an unconditional ceasefire, Bangkok never received any direct proposal and Thailand believed such statements were aimed at increasing international pressure rather than resolving the issue, Sihasak said following the meeting that was arranged to seek ways to end the crisis.
The general border committee involving both nations will meet Wednesday to iron out detailed measures toward a lasting ceasefire, he said.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow speaks during a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, after a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers to discuss an ongoing border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. (AP photo/Azneal Ishak)
“This time, let’s thrash out the details and make sure the ceasefire reflect the situation on the ground and the ceasefire is one that really holds, and both sides are going to fully respect the ceasefire,” Sihasak told a news conference.
The border conflict escalated into deadly combat two weeks ago and derailed the agreement promoted by Trump, which ended five days of fighting in July. The agreement was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through under pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. The ceasefire was formalized with more detail at an October regional summit in Malaysia attended by Trump.
The fighting has drawn international concern. The U.S. Department of State on Sunday released a statement calling for Thailand and Cambodia to “end hostilities, withdraw heavy weapons, cease emplacement of landmines, and fully implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, which include mechanisms to accelerate humanitarian demining and address border issues.”
The latest round of fighting began Dec. 8, a day after a border skirmish wounded two Thai soldiers. Since then combat has broken out on several fronts, with Thailand carrying out airstrikes in Cambodia with F-16 fighter jets and Cambodia firing thousands of medium-range BM-21 rockets from truck-mounted launchers that can launch up to 40 rockets simultaneously.
More than three dozen people on both sides of the border have officially been reported killed in the past week of fighting, while more than half a million have been displaced, according to officials.
Under the October truce Thailand was to to release 18 Cambodian soldiers held prisoner and both sides were to begin removing heavy weapons and land mines along the border. But the two countries have carried on a bitter propaganda war with minor cross-border violence.
In this Sunday, July, 2025, photo released by the Royal Thai Army, Thai soldiers inspect a border area in Ubon Ratchathani†province where the Royal Thai Army said two anti-personnel landmines were found. (Royal Thai Army via AP)
Land mine explosions have been a particularly sensitive issue for Thailand, which has lodged several protests after alleging Cambodia laid new mines that wounded soldiers patrolling the frontier. Cambodia insists the mines were remnants of its decades-long civil war, which ended in 1999.
“These were clearly newly planted landmines, and this was confirmed by the ASEAN observer team,” Sihasak said Monday, calling it a “clear violation” of the October agreement.
The Thai navy said Sunday one of its marines on the front line sustained serious injuries to his right leg from stepping on a land mine.
The navy also claimed to have discovered a large number of abandoned weapons and explosive ordnance while securing an area described as a Cambodian stronghold, which showed “deliberate planning and intentional use of anti-personnel landmines” against Thai troops.
The Thai Foreign Ministry said it would send letters of protest to Cambodia and Zambia, the current chair of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, also known as the Ottawa Convention, to pursue further action under the convention’s mechanisms.
Cambodia did not immediately respond to the Thai claims.
Thai police arrest a Chinese suspect inside a condominium room in Bangkok during a raid on an illegal e-cigarette operation involving etomidate-laced cartridges, Dec. 22, 2025.
BANGKOK — Thai narcotics police have arrested a Chinese man accused of producing and distributing hundreds of illegal e-cigarette cartridges laced with etomidate, an anesthetic drug, as authorities intensify a crackdown on what they describe as a rapidly spreading problem in Bangkok’s nightlife scene.
The arrest followed an expanded investigation into a network of Chinese nationals allegedly involved in the illicit production and sale of so-called “pod K” or “zombie pod” e-cigarettes, which are mixed with etomidate and sold to customers at pubs and bars across the capital.
Police said the probe began in late November, when officers seized etomidate-laced e-cigarette cartridges and arrested four Chinese suspects during raids on warehouses and distribution points in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district, the resort city of Pattaya and neighboring Nonthaburi province.
Thai police arrest a Chinese suspect inside a condominium room in Bangkok during a raid on an illegal e-cigarette operation involving etomidate-laced cartridges, Dec. 22, 2025.
On December 20, officers raided a rented house in Pattaya and arrested a Chinese national, uncovering what authorities described as a large-scale illegal e-cigarette operation. Police said the seized products were valued at more than 10 million baht ($318,000) and included a suspicious white powder believed to be a possible anesthetic substance.
The investigation led to another suspect identified as Li, a 32-year-old Chinese national, who was found on December 22 in the Sukhumvit 13 area of Bangkok. Police said Li confessed to supplying etomidate-laced e-cigarette cartridges to Chinese customers in the Huai Khwang area at about 1,200 baht ($38.5) per cartridge.
A search of two condominium units in Sukhumvit 13, which police said were being used as a production base, uncovered 552 ready-to-sell e-cigarette cartridges containing etomidate, along with empty cartridges, equipment used to produce the active substance, and packaging materials for distribution.
Etomidate-laced e-cigarette cartridges, empty pods and production equipment seized by Thai police are displayed as evidence following the arrest of a Chinese suspect in Bangkok, Dec. 22, 2025.
Li was charged with illegal possession of a Category 2 controlled substance — etomidate — with intent to sell, an offense authorities said posed a serious risk to public health and contributed to the spread of dangerous drugs among the public.
Commissioner of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau Lt. Gen. Archayon Kraithong said police have seen a continued rise in the use of “pod K” or “zombie pod” e-cigarettes, particularly among foreign tourists. Etomidate is a fast-acting anesthetic used in medical settings to induce temporary unconsciousness, he said.
When mixed into e-cigarettes, the drug can cause users to feel intoxicated, dizzy or briefly unconscious, police said. Serious side effects include respiratory depression, abnormal heart rhythms and psychological effects such as hallucinations, depression and anxiety, which can be fatal in severe cases.
The 11th PropertyGuru Asia Real Estate Summit brought together more than 400 industry leaders, policymakers, designers and technology experts to examine how trust, innovation and community-building are shaping real estate markets across Asia Pacific.
Kicking off PropertyGuru Week 2025, ARES 2025 convened regional leaders to examine “Trusted Marketplaces and Thriving Communities,” exploring how property, technology and design can drive long-term social impact.
The programme opened with macroeconomic insights from Syetarn Hansakul, senior analyst for South-East Asia at The Economist Intelligence Corporate Network, followed by a design spotlight from Sybarite Architects’ co-founder Simon Mitchell on “The Power of Place.” Throughout the day, panels and keynote sessions explored branded residences and value creation, data security in an AI-driven market, equity and access in Asian real estate, wellness-led community development, and the resilience of cities in the digital economy.
Speakers included senior leaders and experts from Six Senses, Nobu Hospitality, Marriott International, The Ascott Limited, Knight Frank, UN-Habitat, the International Finance Corporation, and regional hospitality, finance and proptech firms. The Summit also featured an international keynote from two-time Olympic gold medallist Panipak “Tennis” Wongpattanakit, who shared insights on resilience, discipline and the role of community in long-term success.
Jules Kay, general manager of PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards and Events, said: “We connect technology with design to bring finance together with sustainability, data with human experience, policy with innovation. All these things come together at ARES.”
He added: “There are more complexities facing Asia and more challenges coming into the markets every year. Whether you build, finance, design, market, regulate, or even seek a property, the influencing forces have an effect. Our job at PropertyGuru goes beyond listing properties that people can buy. We want to reduce the uncertainty and create trust amongst the people that want to find property across Asia. When we make trusted decisions, those decisions improve and communities improve. Thank you for your continued trust in us as we continue to build trusted marketplaces and, through them, thriving communities.”
Police officers escort and hand over a Malaysian suspect accused of running a call scam network to investigators for further questioning after his arrest in eastern Thailand, Dec. 22, 2025.
SA KAEO — Thai authorities have arrested a Malaysian man suspected of leading a call-center scam network after he allegedly fled Cambodia and illegally crossed into Thailand amid border unrest, police said.
Officers from the Technology Crime Suppression Division, under the Central Investigation Bureau, arrested Ang Joo, a Malaysian national, on December 22 in Khlong Nam Sai subdistrict of Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, near the Thai-Cambodian border.
Ang was wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on March 5, 2024, on charges including conspiracy to defraud the public by impersonation, inputting false information into computer systems, illegal possession and use of telecommunications equipment, and illegal entry into the country.
Police officers escort and hand over a Malaysian suspect accused of running a call scam network to investigators for further questioning after his arrest in eastern Thailand, Dec. 22, 2025.
The arrest followed an earlier raid in Bangkok in which police seized four GSM gateway devices, commonly known as “sim boxes,” from a condominium in the Lat Phrao area. Such devices are frequently used by call-center scam gangs to route and disguise fraudulent calls.
Investigators later arrested an Indonesian man identified as Kevin and his Thai wife, Jiranan, at a luxury villa in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi province. Police said the couple admitted to installing the sim box equipment and identified Ang as their employer.
According to police, the suspects told investigators that Ang, a Malaysian of Chinese descent, had been directing the operation while living in Poipet, Cambodia, and had ordered the installation of the sim box devices in Thailand. Authorities then sought and obtained an arrest warrant for him.
Police said Ang later fled Cambodia and reentered Thailand through an illegal border crossing after clashes erupted along parts of the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo province, prompting concerns for his safety.
During questioning, Ang confessed to ordering Kevin to place sim box devices at multiple locations in Thailand, police said. He told investigators he fled Cambodia fearing for his safety amid the border violence, which led to his arrest.
Ang was handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings, police said.
In this combination photo, Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen is seen at left, while Thai soldiers raise the national flag at Hill 350 near Ta Kwai Temple, a disputed area along the Thai-Cambodian border, on Dec. 21, 2025.
E xiled Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy posted a question this morning: “What did Cambodia gain after Hun Sen released the Hun Sen–Paetongtarn audio clip?”
A source of mine in Cambodia, who asked not to be named, told me a few days ago that Hun Sen expected that after Paetongtarn was removed from the prime minister’s post, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha would replace her, because Hun Sen has a good relationship with Prayut. But in the end, the situation flipped — the main opposition People’s Party unexpectedly handed the position to Anutin, who took a very hardline stance against Cambodia instead.
Meanwhile, the Thai military seized the opportunity to expand its role and rebrand itself as a protector of ‘national sovereignty’, instead of a coup-prone army led by rogue generals fond of military adventures in politics. The Thai army relentlessly attacked and pressured Cambodia during this second war until Cambodia appealed to the international community, accusing Thailand of being the “aggressor”.
Anutin then racked up waves of ultra-nationalist popularity.
It must be noted that many Thais were taught from childhood at school about Westen imperial powers taking away lands under Siamese control over a century which includes today’s Cambodia and they were delighted to see Anutin saying no to US President Donald Trump’s presure to quickly return to a ceasefire.
However, yesterday afternoon Anutin had to publicly deny for the second time that he was exploiting the situation and engaging in what might best be described as a ‘war for votes’, stating: “[The war] has nothing to do with the election.”
As for Sam Rainsy’s question, it is clear that Hun Sen betrayed the Shinawatra family (though it remains unclear if the Shinawatra family quietly betrayed the Hun family first) by releasing the clip. At the time, he even boasted that there would be a change of Thailand’s prime minister in the near future.
Today, deep down, Hun Sen may actually regret having sabotaged Paetongtarn; as the English proverb goes: “Beware of what you wish for.”
P.S. Anutin told the media yesterday that most of the [disputed areas] have been “reclaimed.”
Yodchanan Wongsawat meets residents and listening to concerns about agricultural issues in Ban Pho subdistrict, Muang district, Suphan Buri province, on Dec. 21, 2025. (KHAOSOD Photo/Chavalit Panyong)
BANGKOK — As Thailand’s political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2026 general election, a new and unconventional figure has entered the spotlight: Dr. Yodchanan Wongsawat, a biomedical engineering professor and nephew of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Yodchanan, 46, is being promoted by the Pheu Thai Party as a potential prime ministerial contender, marking a shift toward a more academic and technocratic image for the party long associated with populist politics and the Shinawatra family dynasty.
A professor at Mahidol University, Yodchanan holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is known to students as “Professor Shane,” a nickname his father, former Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, has said was inspired by the 1953 Western film Shane.
Yodchanan Wongsawat (center) is introduced as a prime ministerial candidate of the Pheu Thai Party alongside Julapun Amornvivat (left) and Suriya Juangroongruangkit (right) at the party’s headquarters in Bangkok on Dec. 16, 2025. (KHAOSOD Photo/Chavalit Panyong)
His emergence comes as established political figures — including Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party and Natthapong Ruengpanyawut of the People’s Party — dominate early discussions ahead of the vote.
Supporters within Pheu Thai have framed Yodchanan as a break from tradition. Nattawut Saikua, a former prime ministerial adviser, noted that Thailand’s 32 prime ministers have largely come from military, legal or business backgrounds.
“Thailand has never had a scientist as prime minister,” Nattawut wrote on social media. “After decades of coups and court battles, it may be time for a more scientific approach to solving problems.”
Yodchanan Wongsawat outlines his vision and policy priorities during a campaign speech ahead of Thailand’s general election scheduled for Feb. 8, 2026, at the Pheu Thai Party headquarters in Bangkok on Feb. 16, 2025. (KHAOSOD Photo/Chavalit Panyong)
Despite his professional credentials, Yodchanan’s family ties have drawn criticism from opponents who say Pheu Thai remains controlled by the Shinawatra network. He is the son of Somchai Wongsawat and Yaowapha Wongsawat, Thaksin’s younger sister.
Party supporters, however, see his candidacy as part of a generational reset following Pheu Thai’s defeat in the 2023 election. Former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has said Thaksin, currently incarcerated at Klong Prem Central Prison, has encouraged Yodchanan and noted that he is entering politics at roughly the same age Thaksin did.
Yodchanan has also faced scrutiny amid heightened tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border. Nationalist critics have pointed to his sister’s past marriage to the son of a Cambodian lawmaker linked to former Prime Minister Hun Sen.
His sister, Chayapa Wongsawat, said the marriage ended more than five years ago and had no political relevance. “My family has never benefited from that relationship,” she wrote online, calling the attacks inappropriate.
Former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra greets Yodchanan Wongsawat on stage during the launch of Pheu Thai Party’s prime ministerial candidates, alongside former Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat (second from left), in Bangkok on Dec. 16, 2025. (KHAOSOD Photo/Chavalit Panyong)
On the border dispute, Yodchanan has called for a balance between diplomacy and military readiness, stressing the need to safeguard Thailand’s sovereignty.
In public appearances, Yodchanan has adopted a measured and analytical tone. Asked in an interview how he would respond if world leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping and former U.S. President Donald Trump called at the same time, he replied that such a scenario was unlikely, adding that foreign policy decisions should be based on national interests rather than personalities.
“In 1998, Thai Rak Thai emerged during an economic crisis,” he said, referring to Thaksin’s first party. “Today, Thailand faces disruption. That is why I am stepping forward.”
While opinion polls show many voters remain undecided and Yodchanan’s public profile is still developing, he has played down early numbers.
“Polls are a reflection,” he said. “Good results are encouragement. Bad results are lessons.”
In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), a distraction building is seen after a Thai bombing in Poipet town, Banteay Meanchey Province, Cambodia, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AKP via AP)
Two weeks of needless Thai-Cambodian border war with no end in sight is depressing, particularly when very few Thais—especially public figures or semi-public figures—are willing to publicly call for an end to this tragic madness.
The war is so ‘popular’ among ultranationalist Thais to the point where one risks being accused of being pro-Cambodia, or even being Cambodian or a spy for Cambodia, for calling for an end to the war.
Earlier this week, I was interviewed by the Banglok-based foreign correspondent for Le Monde, Brice Pedroletti, for his latest piece on the war (published in Paris yesterday), and whether I have received more attacks and criticisms for my “lonely voice calling for rationality and peace” as Pedroletti described it.
Yes, there were more, but it is nothing compared to the dozens of soldiers and civilians killed or injured and the over half a million people displaced on both sides of the border.
In Thailand, some Thais in the evacuation camps are now receiving phone calls from loan sharks and/or banks asking for their monthly loan instalments. Many have been unable to work for two weeks now, and it is uncertain how long this will continue.
Meanwhile, Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand, numbering over four hundred thousand (and definitely considerably more as many were unregistered), face an uncertain future as the Thai government may not renew their work registrations. This comes at the end of March, when over 100,000 of them will need to renew their status, according to Thai-based Cambodian labour rights activist Saing Ry. At we type these words, Thai immigration police are hunting down those who stay illegally. Yesterday, Khaosod reports that one climbed up a roof in a bid to flee but found a dead end and begged not to be deported.
“I feel confused, anxious, scared, and unable to think clearly about which path to take,” Saing Ry told me in Thai, in which she is fluent.
In Thailand, even PM Anutin had to publicly deny that he is waging a border war against Cambodia in order to boost his political standing.
”Don’t look at the world pessimistically. I still do not have the courage to trade the lives of our soldiers or citizens for votes or personal gain,” Anutin said on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, reacting to criticisms that his Bhumjaithai Party is exploiting nationalist sentiment.
The PM may say whatever he likes and deny all he wants, but the doubt that this may be a “war for votes” is not going away easily—particularly when the general election is on 8 February 2026, less than two months away.
The tragedy of this war is that two weeks on, not a single political party is calling for a ceasefire. They probably fear being branded as unpatriotic political party or even a proxy party for Cambodia. More will die and more lives will be disrupted before enough Thais come to their senses.
A Paris-based exiled Thai dissident told me on the phone yesterday that he noted no more than 10,000 Thai social media users opposing this needless war so far. I told him only 100, or fewer, showed up at the latest anti-war demonstration at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre on Friday evening. That is roughly one per cent of the 10,000 or so on social media.
Police detain a Danish male tourist and a Thai woman after they were accused of committing indecent acts in public at Jomtien Beach in Pattaya, Chonburi province on Dec. 20, 2025.
PATTAYA — Police in Pattaya detained a Danish male tourist and a Thai woman after they were accused of committing indecent acts in public at Jomtien Beach in Chonburi province, authorities said.
The incident occurred on Saturday night in the Nong Prue subdistrict of Bang Lamung district, where witnesses reported seeing the couple engage in sexual activity on a floating raft offshore.
The Thai woman told police she had recently moved from Thailand’s northeastern border area near Cambodia, where clashes have occurred, and said she had met the foreign man for the first time shortly before going to the beach. What began as swimming later escalated into what she described as an uncharacteristic moment of passion.
The scene at Jomtien Beach in Pattaya, Chonburi province, where police said a Danish tourist and a Thai woman were accused of committing indecent acts in public.
A witness, identified by police as Win, 27, said he and a friend were collecting shells along the beach when they noticed the couple resting on a raft. He said they later appeared to engage in sexual activity, with sounds carrying to shore. Win recorded the incident and contacted Pattaya City Police.
Police summoned and questioned both individuals, warning them that such conduct harms Pattaya’s tourism image. They were charged with committing indecent acts in public.
