Five employees of Canadian mine found dead in Mexico, authorities say
Mexican authorities say they are working to identify five other bodies after 10 workers were kidnapped last month. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 2 mins info Published On 10 Feb 202610 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Five of 10 employees who were abducted from a Canadian-run mine in Mexico last month have been confirmed as dead, authorities said. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said on Monday that authorities have identified five bodies found at a property in El Verde, a rural locality in the state of Sinaloa, and are working to identify the remains of five other people. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “It is important to note that prosecutorial authorities have remained in contact with the victims’ relatives,” the office said in a statement. “In the cases where the bodies have already been identified, they will be transferred to the states of Zacatecas in two cases, as well as to Chihuahua, Sonora, and Guerrero,” it added. Authorities, who last week arrested four people in connection with the case, will continue gathering evidence to ensure the killings “do not go unpunished”, the office said without providing information on a possible motive. Vizsla Silver, the operator of the Panuco gold and silver mine located near Mazatlan, Sinaloa, said earlier on Monday that it had been informed by a number of families that their loved ones had been found dead. “We are devastated by this outcome and the tragic loss of life. Our deepest condolences are with our colleagues’ families, friends and co-workers, and the entire community of Concordia,” Michael Konnert, president and CEO of Vizsla Silver, said in a statement. “Our focus remains on the safe recovery of those who remain missing and on supporting all affected families and our people during this incredibly difficult time,” Konnert said. Advertisement Vizsla Silver, based in Vancouver, reported on January 28 that 10 of its workers had been taken from its project site and that it had informed authorities. Sinaloa has been rocked by escalating gang violence linked to a rivalry between factions affiliated with two cofounders of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, both of whom are in custody in the United States. The western state in Mexico saw more than 1,680 homicides in 2025, making it the most violent year in more than a decade, according to a tally by the Mexican newspaper Milenio. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,447
These are the key developments from day 1,447 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 6 mins info Published On 10 Feb 202610 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Here is where things stand on Tuesday, February 10: Fighting Russian overnight drone attacks on Ukraine, including in the eastern Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions, killed at least four people. A mother and her 10-year-old son were killed in the attacks, which also knocked out power to tens of thousands of people, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 11 ballistic missiles and 149 drones against Ukraine overnight. Of the drones launched, 116 were shot down or neutralised, and some missiles were intercepted and did not reach their targets, the Air Force said. Russian attacks have damaged production sites of Ukraine’s state-run oil and gas company Naftogaz in the Poltava and Sumy regions of the country, the company’s CEO, Sergii Koretskyi, said in a Facebook post. Koretskyi said it was the 20th attack on the company’s infrastructure since the start of this year. Russian forces are trying to press forward around the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s military said, hoping to conclude a months-long campaign to seize the strategic hub as Moscow seeks to capture the whole of the Donetsk region. The fall of Pokrovsk would mark Russia’s biggest battlefield victory since it seized the eastern city of Avdiivka in early 2024. Kyiv’s General Staff said its forces still hold the northern part of Pokrovsk, a city with a pre-war population of 60,000, and are also defending the smaller city of Myrnohrad nearby. Pokrovsk has been the site of fierce fighting since last year. Advertisement Weapons Ukraine is opening up exports of its domestically produced weapons, including combat drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as a way for Kyiv to earn money from wartime technology and generate badly needed funds for the country. Zelenskyy said that 10 “export centres” for Ukrainian weapons would be opened in 2026 across Europe. Ukraine and France have agreed to start “large-scale” joint weapons production, Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on the Telegram messaging app, after hosting his French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, in Kyiv. Fedorov did not specify what arms would be produced with France or when manufacturing would be launched. Politics and diplomacy An agreement on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine must also take into consideration security guarantees for Russia, Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Grushko told the Izvestia media outlet. These guarantees include the rejection of any deployment in Ukraine of troops from NATO states, he said. Russia remains open to cooperation with the United States, but is not hopeful about economic ties despite Washington’s ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Russia-based media outlet TV BRICS. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has claimed that suspects held for the shooting of one of the country’s most senior military intelligence officers in Moscow last week, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, have confessed that they were carrying out orders from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The FSB also claimed that Polish intelligence was involved in their recruitment. Neither Ukraine nor Poland has commented on the allegations. India plans to maintain multiple sources of energy supply and diversify them when needed, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said. The minister’s comments come after US President Donald Trump said last week that New Delhi had “committed to stop directly or indirectly” importing fuel from Russia. Germany has indicted a Ukrainian national in connection with allegations of a plot linked to Russian intelligence to detonate parcel packages in Europe, German prosecutors said in a statement. The suspect was arrested in Switzerland in May of last year and extradited to Germany in December. Moscow has previously denied involvement in the alleged plot. Sanctions The European Union has proposed extending its sanctions against Russia to include ports in Georgia and Indonesia that handle Russian oil, the first time the bloc would target ports in third countries that deal with Russia, the Reuters news agency reported, citing a proposal document. The proposal bars EU companies and individuals from conducting transactions with the ports. The EU also proposed adding two Kyrgyz banks – Keremet and OJSC Capital Bank of Central Asia – to its sanctions list for providing crypto asset services to Russia, as well as banks in Laos and Tajikistan, while removing two Chinese lenders. If approved, the listed banks would be barred from transactions with EU individuals and companies. The EU document proposes the inclusion in the sanctions list of 30 individuals and 64 companies, seeking a freeze on their assets and travel bans. These include Bashneft, a listed subsidiary of Russia’s oil behemoth Rosneft, as well as eight Russian refineries, among them two major Rosneft-controlled plants – Tuapse and Syzran. The proposal stops short of listing Rosneft or Lukoil, already hit by US sanctions. Advertisement Sport Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych said a helmet he has used in training at the Milano Cortina Games with images of compatriots killed during the war in Ukraine cannot be used in Olympic competition, after having been told by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that it violates a rule on political statements. Ukrainian Minister of Sports Matvii Bidnyi has decried actions by the IOC that Kyiv says indicate that the organisation may soon ease restrictions against Russian athletes, allowing them to once again represent their country in future Olympic Games. Bidnyi told The Associated Press news agency that any change would be “irresponsible” and appear to condone Russia’s invasion, as the war’s fourth anniversary approaches. Smoke billows following Russian double-tap Shahed drone attacks against a petrol station in Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region, on Monday [Maria Senovilla/EPA] Adblock test (Why?)
US kills two people in attack on boat in eastern Pacific, one survivor
The US military says one person survived the strike on the vessel and that the coastguard has been notified. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 2 mins info Published On 10 Feb 202610 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The United States military has attacked a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people, and notifying the US coastguard that one person survived the strike. The US Southern Command, which oversees military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, said the “lethal kinetic strike” was carried out on Monday against a vessel, which it alleged was involved in drug trafficking without providing any evidence. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike. Following the engagement, US SOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor,” the military said. Last week, the US claimed responsibility for killing two people in an earlier attack in the eastern Pacific, bringing to three the number of attacks Washington has ordered on vessels since its forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a bloody nighttime raid on the capital, Caracas, in early January. According to monitors and tallies kept by media organisations, the US has now carried out some 37 attacks against 39 vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Ocean, killing at least 130 people, including the latest killings on Monday. SOUTHCOM did not provide details on the medical condition of the survivor from Monday’s attack, nor the chances of the person’s rescue by the US coastguard and the likelihood of their survival. The US appears undeterred in carrying out its deadly operations in international waters off Latin America, despite legal scholars, rights workers and regional leaders accusing the US of extrajudicial killing by acting as the judge, jury and executioner in cases of people suspected of drug trafficking. Advertisement Officials in the administration of US President Donald Trump have already come under scrutiny for reports that the first such attack, which took place in September 2025, included a follow-up strike that killed survivors who were clinging to the wreckage of a boat. Legal experts said the US military committed a crime if it killed the survivors of a shipwreck . SOUTHCOM released a 10-second video of the air strike on Monday. In the video, a small, motorised boat can be seen in the military’s crosshairs before it is hit, triggering an explosion seconds later. Some of the boat’s structure appears to remain intact after the explosion, although the vessel slows down. Adblock test (Why?)
Japanese PM after landslide victory: ‘I do not fear any challenges’
NewsFeed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s coalition won 352 of the 465 seats in the lower house of Parliament, its best result ever at the polls. Experts say the decisive victory will pave the way for a defence expansion that China has condemned as a return to militarism. Published On 9 Feb 20269 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Protesters in Australia rally against Israeli president’s visit
NewsFeed Protesters took to the streets across Australia to rally against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whom they describe as “war criminal supporting one of the most heinous genocides”. Clashes broke out in Sydney as police used pepper spray and arrested demonstrators. Published On 9 Feb 20269 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Strong support in Pakistan for Gaza peacekeeping force but questions linger
Islamabad, Pakistan – A new survey indicates nearly three-quarters of Pakistanis support deploying troops to the Gaza Strip as part of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF). The findings of the poll by Gallup Pakistan come as media reports suggested Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the first formal meeting of United States President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP) on February 19, a body Pakistan joined alongside several other Muslim-majority countries last month. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The Gallup poll, conducted from January 15 to February 3, surveyed 1,600 respondents through random telephone interviews. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 to 3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. According to Bilal Gilani, executive director of Gallup Pakistan, the results paint a picture of a nation deeply engaged with the Palestinian cause yet divided on how best to pursue it and uncertain about the political structures being built around Gaza’s future. The ISF was proposed along with Trump’s BoP in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. They were part of a 20-point plan Trump proposed to try to end the war in Gaza. The plan began with a “ceasefire” that started in October. In later stages, the international peacekeeping force is to be created and deployed to provide security and oversight of the “truce” between Hamas and Israel in Gaza. The Board of Peace was initially framed as a mechanism to support the administration, reconstruction and economic recovery of Gaza. Advertisement The White House formally announced its creation in January. However, the organisation’s 11-page charter does not mention Gaza once. Permanent membership on the board requires a $1bn contribution for a three-year term although the UN Security Council resolution establishing it limits its mandate in Gaza until the end of 2027. The board includes countries with sharply different relationships with Israel, from Muslim-majority states that have normalised ties to others, such as Pakistan, that do not recognise Israel but have participated in diplomatic efforts to end its genocidal war on Gaza. Divided views The Gallup Pakistan survey’s central finding is unambiguous: 73 percent of Pakistanis support sending a contingent of the country’s military to Gaza with 55 percent expressing “strong” support and 18 percent “slight” support. Opposition was limited. Only 6 percent opposed the deployment while 16 percent were undecided. Gilani said the most striking takeaway is the divergence between Pakistan’s elites and the broader public. “The public opinion, at least in my reading, with respect to sending troops to Gaza is more unanimous whereas joining BoP is a little divided but still more in support of joining, so I think this is an interesting juncture where elite and public opinion varies,” he told Al Jazeera. Salman Shahid, a 29-year-old lawyer in Lahore, said Pakistan’s diplomatic standing improves when it acts as a “voice of reason, law and unity, not when it rushes into confrontational positions”. “A mature, lawful and humanitarian approach strengthens our credibility far more than military posturing. However, any military involvement outside Pakistan’s borders must strictly follow Pakistan’s Constitution and must align with UN mandates,” Shahid told Al Jazeera. Masroor Hussain, 33, a software developer from Karachi, said Pakistan should avoid joining the stabilisation force but believes participation in Trump’s board could be beneficial. Despite criticism, the body is currently the only platform offering countries a role in shaping a resolution to the Gaza war while potentially providing a long-term solution, he said. “Pakistan being in BoP will mean it is more involved in the Middle East as far as talks go, but how it turns into something concrete for Pakistan is hard to say as the region has multiple sides with their own agendas,” Hussain told Al Jazeera. Pakistani peacekeepers are deployed with the UN’s stabilisation force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [File: Glody Murhabazi/AFP] ‘Vague objectives’ Support cuts across demographic lines although with variations. About 78 percent of men backed a troop deployment to Gaza compared with 68 percent of women. Urban residents showed stronger support at 84 percent compared with 67 percent in rural areas. Advertisement Education appeared less decisive. About 67 percent of respondents with less than a high school diploma supported a deployment compared with 84 percent of those with post-secondary educations. Anam Nadeem, 38, a communications professional from Sialkot, is firmly opposed. “The ISF’s role, leadership and objectives are vague, and it appears to be aligned with a US-led framework that lacks broad regional legitimacy. Joining such a force risks placing Pakistan in direct conflict with Palestinian factions, including Hamas, potentially against the will of the Palestinian people,” she said. Pakistan is neither politically nor strategically prepared for a military entanglement in Gaza under unclear terms, Nadeem said. “Without a transparent mandate, UN authorisation and explicit Palestinian consent, supporting this decision would be irresponsible,” she added. These concerns echo conditions highlighted in the survey. A joint alliance of Muslim countries emerged as the most crucial prerequisite for deployment with 64 percent rating it “important” and 35 percent calling it “very important”. A formal request from the Palestinian leadership was deemed necessary by 86 percent of respondents while 81 percent said UN approval was essential. Approval from major powers, including the US and China, ranked lowest. Only 47 percent considered it important while 30 percent viewed it as unimportant. Pro-Palestinian protesters in Dublin, Ireland, in January 2026 [File: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters] Uncertain framework Although Pakistan accepted an invitation to join the Board of Peace during a signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month, the Gallup poll suggested significant uncertainty. About 39 percent of respondents said they’re unsure about the move. About 34 percent expressed happiness at Pakistan becoming part of the board while 23 percent were unhappy. Gilani said this ambivalence likely reflects limited public information about the body’s mandate and the contours of any potential troop deployment. “I think there is obviously this aspect that if the military force
Who is Leqaa Kordia, the Columbia protester still in ICE detention?
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman detained in the United States by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency since March, has been rushed to a hospital after a medical episode, according to media reports. Kordia is being held in Texas after being detained as part of US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestine protests on college campuses across the country. Her legal team said she was targeted for her protest against Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza near Columbia University in New York in 2024, but the federal government said she was arrested for allegedly overstaying her student visa. Since her hospitalisation on Friday, Kordia’s legal team and family said they have not been able to speak with her and do not know her whereabouts. Here is everything we know about Kordia and why she continues to remain in detention: Who is Kordia? Kordia grew up in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah before coming to the US in 2016. She arrived on a visitor’s visa, staying with her mother, a US citizen, in Paterson, New Jersey, home to one of the largest Arab communities in the country. She later transitioned from a tourist visa to a student visa, according to her habeas corpus petition. After her mother applied for Kordia to remain in the US as the relative of a citizen, her green card application was approved in 2021. However, she received incorrect advice from a teacher that led to her student visa expiring in 2022, according to her lawyers. Before her arrest, Kordia worked as a server at a Middle Eastern restaurant on Palestine Way in New Jersey and helped to care for her autistic half-brother. Advertisement Kordia was moved to protest against Israel’s war due to personal loss. Since the start of the war in October 2023, Kordia said, more than 200 of her relatives have been killed. Israel has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded more than 170,000 in a war that human rights groups, a United Nations commission and a growing number of scholars said amounts to genocide. Since a “ceasefire” began in October, Israel has killed more than 500 Palestinians and continues to impose curbs on the entry of aid into Gaza. If deported, Kordia would be handed over to the Israeli government. Pro-Palestinian protesters take over Butler Library on the campus of Columbia University on May 7, 2025 [Ryan Murphy/Reuters] Why was Kordia arrested? She was first arrested in April 2024 during a protest outside the gates of Columbia University, but the case was soon dropped. On March 13, 2025, Kordia showed up at the ICE headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, for what she believed to be routine immigration questions. She was detained there, “thrown into an unmarked van and sent 1,500 miles [more than 2,400km] away”, Kordia wrote in the USA Today newspaper last month. Kordia was neither a student at Columbia University nor a part of political circles. “Though I was not a student, I felt compelled to participate. After all, Israel, with the backing of the United States, has laid waste to Gaza, forcibly displacing my family, killing nearly 200 of my relatives,” she wrote in USA Today. Today, Kordia is the only person who remains in detention from the Columbia campus demonstrations. She has been held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. A leader of the protests, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student with Algerian citizenship and a US green card, and others have been released. Khalil, however, is still in a legal battle to remain in the US with his American wife and child. Last month, an appeals court panel dismissed a lawsuit Khalil filed challenging his detention and deportation order. The judges concluded that the federal court that ordered Khalil’s release last year lacked jurisdiction over the matter. Lawyers for Leqaa Kordia, second from right, say she’s been targeted by US immigration enforcement because she participated in pro-Palestinian protests [File: Craig Ruttle/AP Photo] What are the charges against Kordia? The US government has called Kordia’s money transfers to relatives in the Middle East evidence of possible ties to “terrorists”. Kordia’s lawyers have continuously argued for her release, saying she was targeted by federal officials for her participation in pro-Palestinian protests. Advertisement The federal government has maintained that the case against Kordia is of overstaying a student visa. “Her arrest had nothing to do with her radical activities,” the Department of Homeland Security said in April. “Kordia was arrested for immigration violations due to having overstayed her F-1 student visa, which had been terminated on January 26, 2022, for lack of attendance.” Writing in USA Today last month, Kordia said she does not consider herself either a leader or an activist. “I am a devout Muslim who is deeply committed to my faith and community. I’m a Palestinian woman who enjoys playing the oud, making pottery and hiking,” Kordia wrote. “Speaking out against what rights groups and experts have called a genocide is my moral duty and – I thought – a constitutionally protected right for all in this country. Except, it seems, when that speech defends Palestinian life.” An immigration judge has called for Kordia’s release twice. However, it has been repeatedly blocked through a series of procedural and administrative moves. “[The] Trump administration has exploited rarely used procedural loopholes to keep me confined, a practice now being challenged in federal district courts across the country, with many finding the practice unconstitutional,” Kordia wrote. Demonstrators march after the arrest of Palestinian student protester Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia University on March 10, 2025 [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] How has Kordia lived in ICE detention? Since Kordia was moved to the ICE detention facility in Alvarado in March, she has been facing a range of issues, from sleeping on a bare mattress on the floor to being denied religious accommodations, including halal meals. “Inside the ICE facility where I’m being held, conditions are filthy, overcrowded and inhumane,” Kordia wrote in her piece for USA Today. “For months,
Thai PM Anutin’s party takes early lead in general election race
With 30 percent of polling stations reporting results, Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party has a commanding lead. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info By News Agencies Published On 8 Feb 20268 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Thailand’s ruling Bhumjaithai Party has taken an early lead in general elections, according to a preliminary vote count. With around 30 percent of polling stations reporting results, the party, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnviraku, took a commanding lead over the progressive People’s Party, showed partial results released by the country’s election commission. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The populist Pheu Thai Party, backed by the billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was jailed last year, was in third place, the results showed. People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut appeared to concede defeat as the results came in, telling reporters, “We acknowledge that we did not come first.” “We stand by our principle of respecting the party that finishes first and its right to form the government,” said Ruengpanyawut. Nevertheless, the three-way battle is unlikely to see any single party win a clear majority, meaning parties will likely have to resort to coalition-building to form the next government. Bhumjaithai, seen as the preferred choice of the royalist-military establishment, centred its campaign on economic stimulus and national security, tapping into nationalist fervour stoked by deadly border clashes with neighbouring Cambodia. Its leader, caretaker premier Anutin, stepped in as prime minister last September, after his predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was forced out of office for an ethics violation. Threatened with a no-confidence vote, Anutin dissolved the National Assembly or parliament in December to call a snap election. Advertisement The rival People’s Party, which many had expected to win a plurality of seats, had promised to curb the influence of the military and the courts, as well as break up economic monopolies. Pheu Thai campaigned on economic revival and populist pledges like cash handouts. Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Bangkok, said there was a sentiment of “political fatigue” in the run-up to elections, but voters turning out Sunday were still hopeful about the prospect for change. Constitutional referendum Thai voters were also asked during the vote to decide if a new constitution should replace a 2017 charter, a military-backed document that critics say concentrates power in undemocratic institutions, including a powerful Senate that is chosen through an indirect selection process with limited public participation. The election commission’s early count showed voters backing constitutional change by a margin of nearly two to one. Thailand has had 20 constitutions since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, with most of the changes following military coups. If voters back the drafting of a new national charter, the new government and lawmakers can start the amendment process in parliament with two more referendums required to adopt a new constitution. “I believe that the party that wins in the next election will have an outsized influence on the direction of constitutional reform, whether we move away from the junta-drafted constitution or not,” said Napon Jatusripitak of the Bangkok-based Thailand Future think tank. Adblock test (Why?)
Iran FM says Tehran ready for deal with US with peaceful nuclear enrichment
NewsFeed In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran is ready to reach a deal with the US that allows for peaceful nuclear enrichment, following talks in Oman. He rejects the notion that Washington should be able to dictate what range missiles Iran produces. Published On 8 Feb 20268 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Will pro-military message bring Thailand’s ‘most hawkish’ party to power?
As Thailand prepares to vote on Sunday in a nationwide election, the country’s months-long border dispute with Cambodia continues to cast a shadow over election proceedings. Brief but deadly armed clashes in May last year on a disputed section of the Thai-Cambodia border escalated into the deadliest fighting in a decade between the two countries, killing dozens of people and displacing hundreds of thousands. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Fallout from the conflict toppled the government of Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra – daughter of the billionaire populist leader Thaksin Shinawatra – before bringing Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to power in September. Now, while the fighting may have ceased, the conflict remains an emotive topic for Thais and a means for Anutin to rally support for his conservative Bhumjaithai Party as a no-nonsense prime minister, unafraid to flex his country’s military muscle when required, analysts say. “Anutin’s party is positioning itself as the party that’s really willing to take the initiative on the border conflict,” said Napon Jatusripitak, an expert in Thai politics at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. “It’s a party that has taken the strongest stance on the issue and the most hawkish,” Napon said of the recent military operations. Anutin had good reason to focus on the conflict with Cambodia in his election campaign. The fighting created a surge in nationalist sentiment in Thailand during two rounds of armed conflict in July and December, while the clashes also inflicted reputational damage on Anutin’s rivals in Thai politics. Chief among those who suffered on the political battlefield was the populist Pheu Thai Party, the power base of Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin and his family. Advertisement Pheu Thai sustained a major hit to its popularity in June when a phone call between its leader, then-Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn, and the strongman of Cambodian politics, Hun Sen, was made public. In the June 15 call, Paetongtarn referred to Hun Sen, an erstwhile friend of her father, as “uncle” and promised to “take care” of the issue after the first early clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops, according to Reuters news agency. For factions in Thailand’s politics and Thai people, Paetongtarn’s deference to Hun Sen was beyond the pale of acceptable behaviour for a prime minister, especially as she appeared to also criticise Thailand’s military – a major centre of power in a nation of more than 70 million people. Hun Sen later admitted to leaking the call and claimed it was in the interest of “transparency,” but it led to the collapse of Paetongtarn’s government. She was then sacked by the constitutional court at the end of August last year, paving the way for Anutin to be voted in as Thailand’s leader by parliament the following month. The border conflict with Cambodia has given a major boost to Thailand’s armed forces at a time of “growing popular discontent with the military’s involvement in politics, and with the conservative elite”, said Neil Loughlin, an expert in comparative politics at City St George’s, University of London. Anutin’s government focused its political messaging when fighting on the border re-erupted in early December. Days later, he dissolved parliament in preparation for the election. “Bhumjaithai has leaned into patriotic, nationalist messaging,” said Japhet Quitzon, an associate fellow with the Southeast Asia programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. “Anutin himself has promised to protect the country at campaign rallies, signalling strength in the face of ongoing tensions with Cambodia. He has vowed to retaliate should conflict re-emerge and will continue protecting Thai territorial integrity,” Quitzon said. ‘War against the scam army’ During the fighting, Thailand took control of several disputed areas on the border and shelled Cambodian casino complexes near the boundary, which it claimed were being used by Cambodia’s military. Bangkok later alleged some of the casino complexes, which have ties to Cambodian elites, were being used as centres for online fraud – known as cyber scams – a major problem in the region, and that Thai forces were also carrying out a “war against the scam army” based in Cambodia. Advertisement Estimates by the World Health Organization say the conflict killed 18 civilians in Cambodia and 16 in Thailand, though media outlets put the overall death toll closer to 149, before both sides signed their most recent ceasefire in late December. While the fighting has paused for now, its impact continues to reverberate across Thai politics, said the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Napon. Pheu Thai is still reeling from the leaked phone call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, while another Thai opposition group, the People’s Party, has been forced to temper some of its longstanding positions demanding reform in the military, Napon said. Former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra shakes hands with Pheu Thai Party supporters during a campaign event in Bangkok [Patipat Janthong/Reuters] “[The People’s Party] vowed to abolish the military’s conscription and to cut the military’s budget, but what the border conflict with Cambodia did was to elevate the military’s popularity to heights not seen in longer than a decade since the 2014 coup,” Napon told Al Jazeera. “Its main selling point used to be reform of the military, but after the conflict it seems to be a liability,” Napon continued. The party has now shifted its criticism from the military as an institution to specific generals, and turned its focus back to reviving the economy, which is expected to grow just 1.8 percent this year, according to the state-owned Krungthai Bank. In the past two weeks, that messaging seems to be hitting home, Napon said, with the People’s Party once again leading at the polls despite a different platform from 2023. “It will be very different from the previous election,” Napon said. “Right now, there’s no military in the picture, so it’s really a battle between old and new,” he added. Adblock test (Why?)