Global Conflict Reporting

Tag: Asia

  • Cambodia and Thailand forces exchange heavy cross border fire.

    By. Scott Jackson

    07/24/2025

    On Thursday, July 24th, 2025 cross border shelling and small-arms fire was exchanged between soldiers of the countries of Thailand and Cambodia.

    Diplomatic relations broke down between the two South Asian neighbors of Thailand and Cambodia after a border skirmish in May left one Cambodian troop killed. Tensions worsened on Wednesday (07/22/2025) when a Thai soldier lost a leg from a landmine that Thailand says was planted in a disputed territory. Thailand expelled Cambodia’s ambassador and recalled their own.

    Thursday, the situation escalated horribly. Armed clashes broke out between border forces. Small arms fire was exchanged in the area of the Ta Muen Thom Temple – which lies in disputed territory in the south of Thailand’s Surin province and in Cambodia’s northwest. Thailand claimed Cambodia had deployed a drone near the temple before sending in ground forces.A statement from the Thai military claims that Cambodia fired heavy weapons into the nearby Kap Choeng district. Videos circulating on social media correlate that statement by showing both a Russian-made BM-21 Grad Multi launch Rocket System (MLRS) and a Czechoslovak-made RM-70 GRAD 122mm rocket launchers being used by Cambodian forces. The rocket fire caused Thailand to order an evacuation of the area.

    Video shows a Russian-produced Grad launcher being used by Cambodian forces. We can’t see exactly who is firing this weapon however Thailand does not have this weapons system in its arsenal.
    Video shows Czechoslovak-made RM-70 GRAD 122mm rocket launcher in use by Cambodian forces.
    Video shows the aftermath of a Cambodian rocket attack which hit this PTT gas station in Ban Phue Sisaket Province.


    “The attack injured three civilians. Thai authorities have promptly evacuated residents from the area to ensure the safety of lives and property,” the Thai military said in a statement.

    “Cambodian forces acted strictly within the bounds of self-defence, responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity,”Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, a cambodian defense ministry spokesperson said. 

    The US embassy put out a statement warning US citizens living or visiting Thailand “U.S. citizens living or traveling near the Thailand-Cambodia border should follow direction from Thai security services and consult local government authorities for the latest information”

    After the rocket attacks, which lit fires in the nearby Kap Choeng district, Thailand responded by launching F-16 fighter jets which Thailand’s second military command said struck two Cambodian regional military headquarters, destroying them.

    An F-16 in the service of the Royal Thai Air Force.


    Right now the fighting has remained centered around the border region, however the situation has the potential to escalate into a much wider regional conflict with the possibility of drawing in other world powers. Cambodia maintains a distinct military partnership with China, who helps fund their defense. They also have connections to the US, though not as strongly as Thailand, who operate many US weapons systems and participate in US military exercises .

    This is an ongoing story. Stay tuned for new updates. As of the latest info Cambodia is currently trying to deploy tanks into the Satta Som Mountain area in Ban Phumsarol. Thailand has deployed UAV’s and is claiming to have destroyed several armed vehicles.

  • North Korea relaunches Navy destroyer that was damaged at last launching ceremony. (images)

    Image shows North Korean Choi-Hyun class guided missile destroyer on its side after a disastrous first launch.

    By. Scott Jackson

    06/11/2025

    After last months disaster of a launch North Korea seems to have quickly managed to repair their new Choi-Hyun class guided missile destroyer. Images from Maxar show it during its relaunching ceremony.

    Choi-Hyon class destroyer, this time launched now first instead of sideways.
    A look at the road near the shipyard showing bud loads of people coming to watch the launching of the ship.

    The shipyard where the first launch first took place in the city of Chongjin has a rather narrow harbor area blocking ships from being launched bow first, leaving them with only side launching which is a much harder procedure.

    The ship was first launched on may 21st when the accident occurred but was righted by June 2nd after which it was towed to a dry dock in port city of Rajin to the northeast of Chongjin.

    This yet to be publicly named ship is second of its class with two more being planned for the future. North Korea plans to utilize these specific vessels as Anti-Air destroyers however we don’t have a full picture of their capabilities.

    Image of the ship in dry dock.

    The black and white images were taken and released today by the awesome guys over at Maxar. They do amazing things with satellite imagery.

    The ship, as noted by The Warzone article (https://www.twz.com/news-features/new-launch-ceremony-for-north-korean-frigate-that-partially-sunk-appears-to-have-occurred)that came out earlier today, is in amazing condition for a ship that was showing structural damage even earlier this month. How the ship was restored, even superficially, is unknown.

    https://linktr.ee/globalconflictreporting

  • South Korean patrol plane crashes.

    South Korean P-3 Orion

    By. Scott Jackson

    05/30/2025

    Yesterday on May 29th, 2025, a South Korea Lockheed P-3 Orion MPA took off from its Pohang base at 1:43PM and crashed shortly after takeoff. The South Korean Navy after getting responders to the site of the crash, a crash which was caught partially on video, annonced that all 4 of the crew had died in the crash and subsequent explosion.

    Still image taken from the video showing the crash of the P-3.

    The South Korean Navy is conducting an investigation into why the plane went down appointing the vice chief of naval operations to investigate the incident.

    From what we know from the preliminary information It seems after takeoff for a routine training mission the crew of 4 had issues with the plane and attempted to bring it back in for a landing. Not being able to make it back to the airfield the crew seems to have made the decision to put it down into a less dense area striking what looks like the outskirts of a farm. 

    Scott here.The crew should be commended for managing to get the plane over a less populated area than where they were when it appears problems with the plane started. They saved alot of lives not letting this plane crabs into the many residential areas around here. Just several hundred feet from where they crashed is a large apartment complex.
    Close approximation of where the plane crashed. These apartments appeared in a lot of the footage locals were taking of the crash which helped with geolocation efforts.

    This crash sadly ends the 30 year safety record for the aging but still reliable P-3 Orion. This plane has seen decades of use as a maritime patrol plane as well as a capable ASW (Anti-Submarine warfare) hunter. The plane can be loaded up with dozens of sonar bouy’s which can detect subs as well as the torpedos and depth charges which can be dropped once an enemy sub has been detected. The Orion also has the ability to carry several Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles.

    The South Koreans originally acquired 8 P-3C aircraft but liked them so much they latwr doubled that by adding 8 more P-3CK variants (P-3B variants thag were modified by South Korean).

    While the investigation is still ongoing for a cause defense analyst have noted the immense strain put on these craft as the South Korean Navy only have a limited number compared to say Japan who operate around 100 of them. This offers broader coverage as well as the increased availability for these planes to rotate through maintenance.

    Overview of the area. 
    Thank you for reading. I’m always open for questions, comments, tips and will entertain the idea of collaboration if you have an interesting project you can get me excited about. 

    I’m currently working towards starting a podcast of sorts. Well I have several podcast ideas at least. Give me some time, it’s a new platform I’ve never done and will take a lot of research and practice before I’m comfortable with that. If you would like to be apart of that send me an email and tell little about your story and why it applies to what we do here. 

    This article was fun to write as I was able to get back into geolocation. Nobody online,to my knowledge, had yet worked out the crash site. Usually I’m able to check my work with one of the Geolocation experts but no luck this time. 

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  • North Korea’s new warship capsizes on launch.

    North Korean Destroyer under construction.

    By. Scott Jackson

    05/22/2025

    Yesterday, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jung Un along with a group of military and state leaders were present for the launch of the countries newest warship from the shipyard in the northeastern port of Chongjin.

    The ship is the 2nd of the yet officially unnamed class of guided missile ships launched in the past two months. The first in the series was called the Choe Hyon.

    Choe Hyon diagram.

    That launch was an absolute disaster as the guided missile destroyers stern slipped off the transport cradle that was to carry it into the water. The stern of the ship was thus stuck while the rest of it kept moving causing an as of yet unknown amount of damage to the destroyer as it capsized.

    In a shocking turn, the North Korean state run news were quick to confirm what happened and KCNA put out this statement

    “Due to inexperienced command and operational carelessness, the parallel movement of the bogies could not be guaranteed, resulting in the launching sled in the stern detaching first and causing the ship to capsize. The ship’s balance was destroyed due to a rupture in the hull in some sections, and the bow section was unable to detach from the keel.”

    This is a sharp contrast to the North Koreans love of secrecy with all things involving their military. Washington analyst have speculated this indicates a shift in North Korean thinking as they move forward with their attempt to build a blue-water capable fleet to extend their maritime presence into the pacific and beyond. Adding in the idea that the country likely wanted to get ahead of the news cycle before the satellites had a chance to do a fly over.

    Kim himself was more than displeased as he threw fury and accusations out in the aftermath. According to NK state run media Kim accused the military and the shipbuilders of incompetence. He called the incident as followed

    “…serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism.”

    -North Korean leader Kim Jung Un

    Further, KCNA reported

    “Kim Jong Un made [a] stern assessment, saying that it was a serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility … and could not be tolerated,”

    He has called for a meeting of the ruling Workers party in June where the “irresponsible errors” can be delt with.

    Satellite image showing the aftermath of the destroyer launch accident. NK has covered the ship in tarps to hide as much from view as possible.

    Satellite footage was released showing the current condition of the ship. Tarps were used to hide specific information. This type of side launch is a more difficult way to launch a ship requiring grater skill than simply sliding it in bow first.

    “The urgent restoration of the destroyer is not a simple practical issue, but a political issue directly related to rhetoric authority kd the country”

    Kim Jung Un.

    Kim has called for the ship to be repaired and operational within a month which is unlikely. The damage caused is likely to be severe.

    While North Korea has a small Navy building a missile destroyer is not something North Korean shipyards have done more than once, launching the Choe Hyon last month in April. However many have wondered just how North Korea managed to build a ship like the Choe Hyon so quickly. One reason is the new military cooperation between Russian and North Korea, Russia is able to offer help and advice on shipbuilding to North Korea and North Korea has given soldiers, missiles and other support. Another reason the ship was built so quick is because the ship has zero propulsion as of when it was photographed during some live fire weapons testing. A sign of corners being cut during its production in an effort to rush a destroyer program, a program that Kim Jung Un knows will give his country more renown.

    A shot of North Korean guided missile destroyer Choe Hyon during its live fire weapons testing. We can see a large open spot where the
    propulsion machinery for the ship would usually be.

    Without propulsion the Choe Hyon was almost certainly towed out of the harbor for its weapons testing.

    Choe Hyon and its unlucky sister ship carry an impressive arsenal of weapons that were seen during the before mentioned weapons demonstration. A large amount of Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells. One of the main missiles loaded will likely be a before, unknown air defense missile that we have little info on. Other missile include a supersonic cruise missile and extra large launch cells for ballistic missiles. In total these destroyers have 76 VLS cells broken up into 4-5 different sizes for different munitions.

    While the different size launch cells have some advantages, having your missile stock made up of that diverse of a stock also has its drawbacks, especially if you want these ships to focus on air defense as has been reported.

    The launch of an apparent surface-to-air missile from the foward set of 32 VLS cells.
    Launch of a Hwasal-2 (or a similar)Long Range Cruise Missile.
    Another shot of Hwasal-2 taken from the flight deck.
    Close up of the missile.

    The ships are also equipped with the 127mm caliber main gun on the bow as well as 2 AK-630 CIWAS (Close in weapons system).

    The ability of these destroyers to be utilized as long range missile platforms is the most interesting and strongest assets for this set of ships. Analysts have questioned whether this ability, even on what probably only amounts to a token capability for North Korea is enough to put it high on the list of targets should hostilities break out with the U.S. or other western powers. 

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Bullets over ballets. Myanmars democracy in the age of the military junta. 
    
			
    Bullets over ballets. Myanmars democracy in the age of the military junta. 
    
			
    

    Once hailed as a beacon of hope for democracy in Southeast Asia ,Myanmar has descended into chaos and violence. Two years after a military coup toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country teeters on the brink of collapse.An ongoing crackdown on civilians and ethnic minorities by the military Junta has claimed the lives of at least 5,000,(according to a report from the Untied Nations)imprisoned thousands and sparked a humanitarian crisis-and a civil war. 
    





    




    Myanmar’s military crackdowns have intensified with attacks on ethnic minority groups and towns of late. These attacks have caused widespread destruction. Town such as Kale, in Sagaing Region and Loikaw in Kayah state have been bombed and burned by junta airstrikes and artillery attacks. 
    




    




    The communities of ethnic Shan, Rohingya and Chin minorities have also faced sporadic targeted violence and displacement. The accusations against the military towards these groups are grim and include extrajudicial killings, gang rapes, arson and infanticides. 
    




    Since 2021, the Kyat (Myanmar currency) has fallen by  60% and has caused hyperinflation. The Kyat, today is worth 2101 Kyat compared to 1 US dollar. This inflation has caused banks and services based on currency to struggle with cash shortages.Some in the country have struggled because their bank accounts have been frozen. 
    




    International corporations and businesses have moved their business away from Myanmar and Trade in the country has also been affected with exports down 30% and imports down 40% year over year.  Food and fuel prices have skyrocketed to unbelievable prices.
    




    All of this has left the economy gasping for air and contributed vastly to an ongoing humanitarian crisis with 46% of the population estimated to be beneath the poverty line. 
    




    




    The coup was carried out on the orders of one man. Former Burmese Army General and chief of the Bureau of Special Operations, Min Aung Hlaing. Hlaing, before the coup has been the leader of the Tatmadaw (the armed forces of Myanmar) officially called the Commander-In-Chief of Defense Services since March of 2011.  He was born in 1956 which makes him 69 this year. That will come up later. 
    




    




    In January of 2021 Hlaing, as the commander in chief of defense services approached the different political parties of the country and hints at their being “instability” in Myanmar. In Myanmar, even before this latest takeover the Tatmadaw held a considerable of power in the government. A clause in the 2008 constitution (that the military wrote) lets the military hold up to 25% of the legislative seats. Another clause(known as the coup-i-waiting clause) allows the president to declare an emergency and hand power to the military leadership. 
    




    The instability brought up to the Myanmar political party’s (some of them being just the military) was likely just the election of parliament chancellor Aung San Sui Kyi in 2020 who is noted as being a “dissident”. The old guard of military political generals didn’t like that their military political party lost some of its power Min who was being forced from his position because of his age (told you it would come up) he had already delayed his retirement by 5 years and had presidential ambitions for after his military service but his party’s loss in the 2020 election ruined this plans. At this point the military took power on the day parliament was set to open, arresting Aung and the president and giving control to General Min- now Prime minister Min. 
    




    Since then the military has responded harshly to both peaceful protest and armed resistance with no sign of any return to democracy. The international response (besides Russia and China) condemn the military of Myanmar and have levied sanctions against them however there is no end in sight and no rescue for the citizens of this tragedy. However. It does seem the tide is somewhat turning as various ethnic militias who in the past have fought against each other in Open combat have come together and picked up arms against the military who have been losing ground steady since the start of the coup.