28/07/2025

MONDAY | JULY 28, 2025

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Thailand, Cambodia clash despite ceasefire hopes

Singapore agency stabilises sinkhole SINGAPORE: The city-state’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said preliminary checks have confirmed that buildings near a new sinkhole at Tanjong Katong Road are not affected. The agency said it began stabilisation works as a precautionary measure and to ensure the safety of nearby buildings and the worksite of the national water agency PUB, which is next to the location. “BCA engineers have carried out preliminary checks on One Amber condominium and landed houses across the road. The assessments confirmed that the buildings are not affected,” it posted on Facebook on Saturday night. It said the BCA, Land Transport Authority (LTA) and PUB are monitoring repairs and overall safety. Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu said she had instructed relevant agencies to investigate. “I understand the public, particularly residents and workers in the area, may be concerned over the structural integrity of the buildings and roads. “I have asked PUB to work with agencies, including BCA and LTA, to investigate and implement rectification works quickly,” she posted on Facebook. On Saturday, a woman was rescued and sent to hospital after her car fell into the sinkhole, which formed at about 5pm. A video circulated online showed workers from a nearby worksite rescuing the woman from the sinkhole and stopping cars from approaching the affected area. Both directions of the affected road have been closed to traffic. – Bernama NEW DELHI: At least six people were killed in a stampede after a large crowd gathered at the Mansa Devi temple in the northern Indian city of Haridwar, ANI reported yesterday. Uttarakhand Chief Minister said police and other rescue teams have reached the scene and are engaged in relief and rescue operations. The injured have been taken to hospital. India has a history of crowd accidents. At least 30 people died at the Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in January as tens of millions gathered to dip in sacred waters. Last month, at least 11 people died in crowd chaos outside an Indian cricket stadium. – Reuters ASEAN SETTING UP AI SAFETY NETWORK JAKARTA: Asean is establishing an AI Safety Network (AI Safe) to promote ethical innovation, institutionalise safety protocols and strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI). Its secretary-general Datuk Dr Kao Kim Hourn said the initiative reflects the bloc’s commitment to trust, transparency, and accountability in AI development. Speaking at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Saturday, Kao said Asean is ready to work closely with China through the Asean-China 2025 Digital Work Plan to build a resilient and equitable AI partnership. He said while AI brings efficiency, it also poses serious risks, as autonomous AI agents and generative technologies lack ethical reasoning and are prone to bias, manipulation and unintended harm. “Generative AI heightens threats such as misinformation, deepfakes and cybersecurity breaches,” Kao said in remarks released by the Asean Secretariat. – Bernama SIX KILLED IN TEMPLE STAMPEDE

BR I E F S

o Trump urges both sides to cut a deal

driven from homes in Cambodia. After an urgent UN Security Council meeting on Friday in New York, Cambodia’s UN Ambassador Chhea Keo said his country wanted “an immediate ceasefire” and a peaceful resolution. UN chief Antonio Guterres urged both sides to “immediately agree to a ceasefire” and hold talks to find a lasting solution. “The secretary-general condemns the tragic and unnecessary loss of lives, injuries to civilians and the damage to homes and infrastructure on both sides,” his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement. Both sides have blamed the other for firing first. Cambodia has also accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions, while Thailand accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells. The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a dispute over a shared 800km border. – AFP

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northern Cambodia and northeast Thailand that has seen the bulk of the fighting. Cambodian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said Thai forces began attacking areas around the temples at 4.50am. The regular thump of artillery rattled windows in the Cambodian town of Samraong, around 20km from the frontline, AFP journalists said. Thai Army deputy spokesman Ritcha Suksuwanon said Cambodian forces began firing artillery around 4am as the two sides battled for control of strategic positions. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday his country “agreed with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces”. He said his Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will talk to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to coordinate with the Thais, but warned Bangkok

agreeement. Earlier, after Trump’s call, Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said he had agreed in principle to a ceasefire and starting talks “as soon as possible”. But he warned that Cambodia must show “sincere intention” to bring about peace. A long-running border dispute erupted into combat last week with jets, tanks and ground troops battling in the rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals tap rubber and plant rice. Thailand says seven of its soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian deaths and five military. The conflict has forced more than 138,000 people to be evacuated from Thailand’s border regions, and 80,000 have been

SAMRAONG (Cambodia): Thailand and Cambodia clashed for a fourth day yesterday, despite both sides saying they were ready to discuss a ceasefire after a late-night phone call by President Donald Trump. The neighbours, popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists, have clashed over a border dispute, with at least 33 people confirmed killed and more than 200,000 displaced. Both said they were willing to start talks to end the fighting, after Trump spoke to the two prime ministers late on Saturday and said they had agreed to meet and “quickly work out” a ceasefire. But fresh artillery clashes erupted yesterday morning near two long-contested ancient temples in the frontier region between

Displaced Cambodians crowding for

water supplies at Batthkao Primary School camp in Oddar Meanchey province yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

Floods devastate north China, thousands relocated HONG KONG: Heavy rain across north and northeast China has forced thousands to relocate as authorities warned of more widespread rain, landslides and flooding. and mountain torrents. Floods and landslides affected many villages in the Miyun district of the capital, with the rural town of Fengjiayu the most severely impacted and electricity and communications cut in some villages, CCTV said. cumulative rainfall in some areas nearby including Miyun reaching more than 100mm over six hours, Beijing’s Meteorological Observatory said. Low-lying areas are prone to waterlogging, it said. Beijing issued a warning on Saturday for landslides and broader pattern of extreme weather across China due to the East Asian monsoon.

Baoding’s Xizhuang station recorded 540mm over an eight-hour period, exceeding Baoding’s average annual rainfall of about 500mm. The deluge affected more than 46,000 people, forcing 4,655 to evacuate, CCTV reported. Chinese authorities closely monitor extreme rainfall and severe flooding, as they challenge the country’s ageing flood defences, threaten to displace millions and wreak havoc on China’s agricultural sector. – Reuters

Two people were dead and two missing in Hebei province, state broadcaster CCTV reported yesterday. Overnight rain dumped a record 145mm per hour on Fuping in the industrial city of Baoding. China’s Water Resources Ministry has issued flood warnings to 11 provinces and regions, including Beijing and neighbouring Hebei, for floods from small and midsize rivers

mudslides, after intense rainfall unleashed, for a second time, a year’s worth of rain on nearby Baoding. Northern China has experienced record precipitation in recent years, exposing densely populated cities, including Beijing, to flood risks. The storms are part of the

More than 3,000 people have been transferred out of the area, Beijing News Radio reported. The flow into the Miyun Reservoir has increased, hitting a record peak of 6,550 cubic metre per second, Beijing authorities said. Rain will intensify in most areas of the capital, with the expected