07/01/2026

WEDNESDAY | JAN 7, 2026

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Thai soldier hurt in ‘accident’ BANGKOK: Thailand accused Cambodia of violating a 10-day-old truce yesterday, saying cross-border mortar fire wounded a soldier, while Phnom Penh said a “pile of garbage” exploded, injuring two of its own troops. stressing if a similar incident occurred, Thailand may need to retaliate. Cambodia’s Defence Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said two Cambodian soldiers were injured, one severely, yesterday in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, which sits opposite Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani. been told the incident was an accident, but we are seeking clarification on how responsibility will be taken,” Anutin said. Charnvirakul said Thailand had the “capability to respond” to Cambodia, which is outgunned by its neighbour. o Truce under strain

TAIPEI: A China-born Japanese lawmaker sanctioned by Beijing arrived in Taipei yesterday, vowing to tell the world that “Taiwan is an independent country”. Hei Seki, a member of Japan’s parliament, was sanctioned in September by China and banned from entering the country for “spreading fallacies” on issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and disputed islands. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and disputes Tokyo’s stand on islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries, and considers foreign criticism on sensitive political topics to be acts of interference. “The fact that I am able today to smoothly enter Taiwan ... fully demonstrates that the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China are completely two different countries,” Seki told reporters, using Taiwan’s official name. “I came to Taiwan today, first of all, to prove this point, and to tell the world that Taiwan is an independent country,” he said. China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters at a press briefing the “rantings of petty villains aren’t worth responding to”. Seki will attend a banquet, along with Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai, the Indo-Pacific Strategy Thinktank in Taipei, which is hosting Seki’s visit, said. China’s Foreign Ministry said previously that Seki, a naturalised Japanese citizen, had “spread false information, colluded with Japanese anti China forces and wantonly attacked and smeared China”. The ministry also cited visits by Seki, who is also known by his Chinese name Shi Ping, to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead including several World War II war criminals. China has said it would freeze Seki’s assets in the country, forbid Chinese entities from conducting transactions with him, and deny entry visas to him or his family. – AFP INDONESIA HAS ENOUGH RICE JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto said Indonesia had officially achieved rice self sufficiency as of Dec 31. He said the target was initially set to be achieved within four years, however, it was realised in one year. “Thanks to hard work and collaboration among all stakeholders, the target was realised much sooner. We did not import any rice last year.” He said the government was committed to self-sufficiency by strengthening the agricultural sector, improving farmers’ welfare and leveraging technology and innovation to ensure JAKARTA: At least 14 people were killed after being swept away by flash floods in North Sulawesi. Heavy rain early on Monday triggered flash floods on the island of Siau, said rescue agency spokesperson Nuriadin Gumeleng. Main roads in the affected areas were covered by rocks, debris and thick mud. At least 444 people have been evacuated to schools and churches, said disaster mitigation agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari. The floods also destroyed hundreds of houses and government buildings, North Sulawesi governor Yulius Selvanus said. – Reuters ALL EYES ON MAYON MANILA: The Philippines yesterday raised its alert level for the Mayon volcano in the central province of Albay, warning of “potential explosive activity” and advising people to stay outside a 6km danger zone. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert to level three on a five-level scale, which means magma is pushing up inside the volcano and forming a lava dome at the summit. Mayon is the most active of 22 volcanoes in the Philippines, having erupted more than 50 times the last four centuries. Its last eruption was in June 2023. – Reuters Taiwan is independent, says Japanese MP sustainable food security. – Bernama SULAWESI FLOODS KILL 14

The nations’ long-standing conflict stems from a dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km border, where both sides claim territory and temple ruins. Under the December truce, Cambodia and Thailand pledged to cease fire, freeze troop movements and cooperate on demining efforts along their border. On Dec 31, Bangkok released 18 Cambodian soldiers held since July. While the two nations agreed late last month to stop fighting, they still need to resolve the demarcation of their disputed border. Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement yesterday that Phnom Penh had proposed a bilateral border committee meeting with Thai counterparts to be held in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province this month. Bangkok has said previously that meetings to discuss border surveying and demarcation may need to be held by Thailand’s next government, following elections scheduled for Feb 8. – AFP

While Cambodian forces were performing “organisation and orderliness” duties, “an explosion occurred from a pile of garbage”, she said, resulting in the two injured soldiers being hospitalised. Socheata did not mention the strike alleged by Thailand, but said both nations’ border coordination teams had consulted on the incident involving the Cambodian soldiers and addressed the matter. The explosion occurred in a frontier region known as the Emerald Triangle, Socheata said where the borders of both countries and Laos meet. In May, a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight with Thai troops in the area, reigniting the border conflict. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his government had lodged a protest with Phnom Penh, stating “the truce was violated”. “At the military-to-military level, we have

A decades-old border dispute erupted into military clashes last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing around one million on both sides. The two countries agreed to a fragile truce on Dec 27, ending three weeks of clashes. “Cambodia has violated the ceasefire” yesterday morning, the Thai army said in a statement, accusing Cambodian forces of firing mortar rounds into Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province. One soldier was wounded by shrapnel, it said. The Thai army said in a later statement that the Cambodian side had contacted a Thai military unit and claimed “there was no intention to fire into Thai territory”, adding “the incident was caused by an operational error by Cambodian personnel”. The Thai military said it warned Cambodian forces to exercise caution,

BR I E F S

Lee takes the shot of a lifetime with Xi. – YONHAP/AFPPIC

Lee snaps Xi selfie with ‘backdoor’ phone BEIJING: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung snapped a selfie with Xi Jinping using a smartphone gifted to him by the Chinese leader, who had joked at their last meeting that the device might be capable of spying. Lee posted a selfie of himself, Xi and their wives on X on Monday during a visit to Beijing. “A selfie with President Xi Jinping and his wife, taken with the Xiaomi I received as a gift in Gyeongju,” Lee wrote. “Thanks to them, I got the shot of a lifetime,” he said. “I will communicate more frequently and collaborate more closely going forward.” the sidelines of an Apec summit in South Korea. When Lee asked if the communication line on the device was secure, the Chinese leader urged him to “check if there is a backdoor”, referring to pre-installed software that could allow third-party monitoring. The banter was a rare display of humour from the Chinese leader, who is not often seen making jokes, let alone about espionage. Lee has said Xi was “unexpectedly quite good at making jokes”.

New York to face narco-trafficking charges: a raid condemned by Beijing and Pyongyang. Lee’s selfie post sparked heavy interest online and was shared more than 3,400 times in the first few hours. One user said: “Sir, Do you know Nicolas Maduro used the same phone?” The South Korean leader, who took office in June following the impeachment and removal of his predecessor over a martial law declaration, has sought to improve ties with China after a years-long diplomatic deep freeze. Yesterday, he met Chinese Premier Li Qiang, charged with economic policy, hailing improving ties as the “irreversible trend of the times”. The South Korean leader then headed to Shanghai. – AFP

During their 90-minute summit on Monday, Xi urged Lee to join Beijing in making the“right strategic choices” in a world that is “becoming more complex and turbulent”. Lee’s visit to China followed a US military operation in Caracas that captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and brought him to

Lee’s office also posted a short YouTube video of the scene, with Xi complimenting the South Korean leader’s photo skills. The Xiaomi handset made headlines in November when Xi cracked a joke to Lee on