Top Asian News 3:33 a.m. GMT

Thailand blocks tourists from entering Cambodia as their border tensions soar

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand began imposing land border restrictions Monday including blocking tourists heading into Cambodia as the two countries engage in retaliation in their border dispute. Relations between the countries have deteriorated following an armed confrontation May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed in a relatively small, contested territory. While the two sides have agreed to de-escalate their dispute, they continue to implement or threaten measures that have kept tensions high. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said Monday that Thailand will boost screening at land borders and block departing tourists, saying that only students, medical patients and others who need to purchase essential goods would be allowed to enter or leave Thailand.

President Lee picks South Korea’s first civilian defense chief in 64 years

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung nominated a five-term liberal lawmaker as defense minister Monday, breaking with a tradition of appointing retired military generals. The announcement came as several prominent former defense officials, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, face high-profile criminal trials over their roles in carrying out martial law last year under then-President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was indicted on rebellion charges and removed from office. Ahn Gyu-back, a lawmaker from Lee’s Democratic Party, has served on the National Assembly’s defense committee and chaired a legislative panel that investigated the circumstances surrounding Yoon’s martial law decree.

Japanese company blames laser tool for its 2nd crash landing on the moon

A laser navigating tool doomed a Japanese company’s lunar lander earlier this month, causing it to crash into the moon. Officials for ispace announced the news from Tokyo on Tuesday. The crash landing was the second for ispace in two years. This time, the company’s lander named Resilience was aiming for the moon’s far north in Mare Frigoris, or Sea of Cold. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter relayed pictures of the crash site last week where Resilience and its mini rover ended up as wreckage. Company officials blamed the accident on the lander’s laser range finder, saying it was slow to kick in and properly measure the spacecraft’s distance to the lunar surface.

Okinawa marks 80 years since end of one of harshest WWII battles with pledge to share tragic history

TOKYO (AP) — Okinawa marked the 80th anniversary of the end of one of the harshest battles of World War II fought on the southern island. With global tensions escalating, its governor said on Monday it is the Okinawan “mission” to keep telling the tragic history and its impact today. The Battle of Okinawa killed a quarter of the island’s population, leading to a 27-year U.S. occupation and a heavy American troop presence to date. Monday’s memorial comes one day after U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, adding to a sense of uncertainty on the island about the heavy American military presence and in its remote islands, already worried about getting embroiled in a potential conflict in Taiwan.

Pakistan condemns Trump for bombing Iran a day after recommending him for a Nobel Peace Prize

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan condemned U.S. President Donald Trump for bombing Iran, less than 24 hours after saying he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for defusing a recent crisis with India. Relations between the two South Asian countries plummeted after a massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April. The nuclear-armed rivals stepped closer to war in the weeks that followed, attacking each other until intense diplomatic efforts, led by the U.S., resulted in a truce for which Trump took credit. It was this “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership” that Pakistan praised in an effusive message Saturday night on the X platform when it announced its formal recommendation for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

As it attacks Iran’s nuclear program, Israel maintains ambiguity about its own

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran’s nuclear program because its archenemy’s furtive efforts to build an atomic weapon are a threat to its existence. What’s not-so-secret is that for decades Israel has been believed to be the Middle East’s only nation with nuclear weapons, even though its leaders have refused to confirm or deny their existence. Israel’s ambiguity has enabled it to bolster its deterrence against Iran and other enemies, experts say, without triggering a regional nuclear arms race or inviting preemptive attacks. Israel is one of just five countries that aren’t party to a global nuclear nonproliferation treaty.

Thai authorities seize more than 2 tons of crystal methamphetamine worth over $90 million

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai authorities seized more than 2 metric tons of crystal methamphetamine from a tourist boat near a pier in eastern Thailand before the drugs could be smuggled out of the country, officials said Monday. Eight men were arrested Saturday in Rayong province for allegedly attempting to smuggle the nearly 2.4 metric tons (2.6 tons) through the southern border, officials said. They did not elaborate on the intended destination or the drugs’ origin. If sold abroad, the drugs are estimated to be worth over 3 billion baht ($90.8 million), Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation said. The drugs were packed in plastic bags disguised as corn flour packages.

Indonesia arrests 285 in drug crackdown and seizes over half a ton of narcotics

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities said Monday they arrested 285 people suspected of drug trafficking, including 29 women and seven foreigners, and seized over half a ton of narcotics during a two-month crackdown. Indonesia is a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia despite having strict drug laws, with convicted smugglers sometimes executed by firing squad. The head of the National Narcotic Agency, Marthinus Hukom, said the crackdown, launched between April and June across 20 provinces, also uncovered money laundering schemes by two drug syndicates and confiscated assets worth more than 26 billion rupiah (about $1.5 million). Thirty-six of the suspects, including 21 women, were paraded in front of reporters, along with confiscated drugs, in their orange prison uniforms and hands handcuffed.

Japan and South Korea mark 60 years of ties despite lingering tension and political uncertainty

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and South Korea are marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations Sunday. The two Asian powers, rivals and neighbors, have often had little to celebrate, much of their rancor linked to Japan’s brutal colonial rule of Korea in the early 20th century. Things have gotten better in recent years, but both nations — each a strong ally of the United States — now face political uncertainty and a growing unease about the future of their ties. Here’s a look at one of Northeast Asia’s most crucial relationships, from both capitals, by two correspondents from The Associated Press.

Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong warns of persisting national security threats

HONG KONG (AP) — A top Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs on Saturday warned of persisting threats in the city as a China-imposed national security law approaches its fifth anniversary, while seeking to allay concerns about the law’s impact on the financial hub’s openness. Speaking at a forum about the law, attended also by the city leader John Lee and other officials, Xia Baolong, the director of China’s Hong Kong and Macao Work Office, said various forms of soft resistance continue to emerge in new forms and external forces have never ceased their intervention in Hong Kong. “Hong Kong has transformed from chaos to order.