Thailand launches air strikes on Cambodia

0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau. Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

0:48I'm Pete Ross and in the early hours of Monday 8th December, these are our main stories. Tensions escalate once again between Thailand and Cambodia after violent clashes on the border. Syria celebrates the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime and an attempted coup in Benin is thwarted with the help of Nigeria and other West African countries.

1:12Also in this podcast... He's obviously not my son, but he's as close as possible as you can get. I'm very, very proud and hopefully it's the first of many championships for him. We get the inside track on Lando Norris, the new Formula One champion.

1:31We begin in Southeast Asia, where a fragile peace between Thailand and Cambodia appears to be under further strain. The two countries have fought a five-day war in July, the latest flayed up in a century-old territorial dispute. And while a ceasefire brokered with the help of Donald Trump appeared to ease tensions, each side had accused the other of breaking it. Now the Thai military says one of its soldiers has been killed in a fresh wave of border clashes, and it's launched airstrikes at Cambodian forces in response. Panisha Emosha gave me this update from Bangkok. The whole news rounds of fighting between Thailand and Cambodia began on Sunday, and it has been expanded today.

2:13About 20 minutes ago, I've talked to one of the civilians who still live in the border area from the Thai side, and they've said that they still hear the opening shot at each other. Both sides are still accusing each other of firing opening shots. As we already mentioned, one Thai soldier has been dead and four are wounded. And at the moment, from the Thai side, almost 400 ,000 civilians across four border districts are now being evacuated. Have we had any response from Cambodia on all this? The Cambodian Defense Ministry also accused Thailand of launching itself at two locations after what is called day of provocative action and said the Cambodian troop had not retaliated.

2:57Tensions have been bubbling away for quite some time. And this is, of course, something that stretches back, you know, many decades, as much as a century. So what do we expect next? Is this a serious escalation? Actually, after the Seed 5 agreement, this has been one of the most serious fighting between the two countries because people now have to evacuate its officials. And I've already mentioned this. We are talking about 400 ,000 alone in Thai side. One could imagine that it would be almost severe as well for the Cambodian side. And along the way, after the agreement on the ceasefire, we have seen incidents of landmiles, but not to this level of fighting.

3:38And both sides are still fighting each other. The Thai side, the Thai military said that they're already deploying aircraft to strike Cambodian military position in Zoro's area. but they mentioned that it's according to the rule of engagement just to suppress the continued attacks. Panisha Amosha from BBC Time. Syria is marking the first year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime. Bashar al-Assad had ruled the country since the year 2000, taking over from his father, who'd been in power since 1971. He was overthrown in a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels and fled to Russia. Syria's new president, Ahmad al-Shara, a former rebel with links to al-Qaeda, has the support of the White House.

4:20But after years of civil war, unifying and rebuilding a fractured and shattered Syria is particularly challenging, as our international editor Jeremy Bowen reports. They're fireworks, though it sounds a bit like the war that used to shake the city when rebels who held the suburbs were trying to break into the centre of Damascus. They're celebrating because it's exactly a year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the man who broke Syria to try to save the regime he inherited from his father. I've been to Duma, one of those suburbs, when the regime, helped by the Russians, finally forced the surrender of the rebels in the suburbs in 2018.

5:02It looked as if Assad was winning. Ahmed al-Shara, who overthrew him 12 months ago, had other ideas. Just walking around this area, it's still immensely badly. damaged. You know, it's been years since there were airstrikes here, but very little has been done to fix it up. You can see signs. People have moved into some flats. There are little brick walls that have been built, walls made of breeze blocks to block up shell holes. Signs of progress. There's so much they have to do. We drove south from Damascus to Dera, the town on the border with Jordan where the uprising against the Assad regime started in 2011.

5:49A few enterprising families have clearly been rebuilding their homes, but the vast majority of houses here are still absolutely destroyed, just concrete skeletons. One of Syria's biggest problems, the government says it, the UN says it, is the fact the economy is in such a bad state, collapsed. It's hard to get economic activity going again in places like this if there are unexploded bombs, unexploded munitions around them, in the ruins, in the concrete. So that's another reason, apart from just purely safety, why it's important to try and clean these places up. My name's Piers Brecker. I'm the location manager for the Halo Trust here.

6:30Just across the road from us, there are a combination of submunitions, anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines. Next to that, we found a 122-millimeter Grad Rockets warhead. Pretty much, you name it, it's here. You name it, it's here. To get rid of it, they place a small explosive charge and from a safe distance, blow it up.

7:02A local man has seen the demining team here and he said there are some very suspicious objects at his property, so we're going to check it out.

7:19So the shepherd here, Suleiman Kana, he's got his three boys, and they are all bearing the marks of war. They've all at different times been hurt. He was shot. and he's showing me a huge scar on his leg where he was shot through the right calf. And the boys themselves, they're all bearing marks of where they've been injured by explosions. And also, one of them, Ali, is coughing badly. His lungs have been damaged, I think, by smoke he's inhaled from munitions that they were burning off. The boy's father was relieved that the lethal litter left behind by the wall was finally being cleared. Life is very, very difficult.

8:10There is no mercy and comfort in it. My kids were burned twice by gunpowder. This one's face was burned. Look, this one's legs were burned.

8:24Every stop in Syria illustrates another challenge to the new government. We moved on to Beijing, a village in the footholds of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where the problem is Israel. It's in the area Israel is demanding, is demilitarised, where the IDF seized more Syrian land after Assad fell. We were in Beijing three days after the IDF killed 13 residents of the village in a raid Israel said was an arrest operation. The Damascus government calls it a war crime. Six IDF soldiers were wounded when local men fought back, forcing a hasty retreat. So this is from the attack, right? He's pointing up at a damaged building full of bullet holes.

9:15We're being given a tour of Beijing by Hamid Kamal. He describes himself as a 38-year-old shepherd, like a lot of the guys around here he wears. sort of olive khaki-type clothing. This village, Beijing, is right under the eyes of the Israeli observation posts in the Golan Heights. These people have lived very close to the IDF for many, many years, actually. A car pulled up. Khalil Abu Daha was in the passenger seat, his arm in plaster, coming home from the hospital where he'd been treated since the IDF raid. I was in my house with my children. We were trying to find a safe place. They shot at my two daughters.

10:01One was hit and the other died instantly. When I picked her up, I was shot in the hand. At their home, Huda, age nine, was lying under a blanket recovering from a bullet wound. Her sister, Hiba, 17, was shot dead. Their mother, Ummah Ahmed, is in despair. We want to live in our homes and we want a clinic and medical stuff because we don't have one. Our children are living in hell here. There is no safety for them. We go to sleep and wake up afraid. In the village, neighbours and VIPs were arriving to offer their sympathy and express anger at Israel. It's three days after the Israeli attack, a significant day in the mourning process.

10:49It seems to me these are people, these are villagers who have just been buffeted and trapped by circumstances, the uprising against Assad, the war, unable to control their own lives, and a year on from the fall of Assad. That hasn't changed. It's simply that the forces gripping their lives have changed. The reality of how they live hasn't. Our international editor, Jeremy Bowen. Military groups have seized power in several West African countries in recent years and on Sunday there was an attempted coup in Benin. Troops and planes from Nigeria and other West African nations were deployed to stop soldiers from a group called the Military Committee for Refoundation taking over the country.

11:37The soldiers announced on state television that Parliament had been dissolved but hours later President Patrice Talon confirmed in an address to the nation that he is still in power. Our correspondent Thomas Nade told me how events unfolded. A group of soldiers stormed the state TV and then announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon and dissolved all state institutions and suspended the constitution. But we do know that Benin itself has been facing some form of political tensions ahead of elections in April next year. Some key opposition figures have been excluded and there's some imprisoned in the country.

12:19So that has created some form of tension. But the coup leader, Lieutenant Karnal Pascar Tegri, they did indicate that the reason why they decided to take this bold move was because of mismanagement by the government and also the worsening security situation in the north of the country. We know that al-Qaeda-linked Jinnim militants have inflicted severe casualties within the military. The soldiers have not really been happy about it. And it's also one of the reasons why they decided to attempt the coup. Now, Thomas, as we understand it, order has been restored, but that wasn't without the help of some of Benin's neighbours, including Nigeria.

13:05Yes, order has now been restored. President Talon on Sunday evening addressed the nation and said that everything is now completely under control and then vowed to punish perpetrators of this particular coup attempt. He also did indicate that there were still some hostages being held by fleeing soldiers and then some fatalities were recorded, but he didn't indicate the exact number of people who died in the coup attempt. But it is instructive to note that late Sunday afternoon, there were heavy explosions in the capital, which suggested airstrikes. Later, a Nigerian presidency statement confirmed that its ground troops and air force were in action in Benin.

13:50They had helped the soldiers in Benin to flash out the coup plotters from the state TV and then also a military base where they had regrouped. regrouped. We also know that regional bloc ECOWAS has said it was in deploying troops to Benin with immediate effect to secure the country. Quite a serious response then from some of Benin's neighbours. Is this the sort of usual practice? There have been a series of queues in West Africa recently. The response to this particular coup was very swift and effective, unlike the previous coup that took place in countries like Niger, where ECOWAS had threatened to intervene, in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and then more recently in Guinea-Bissau.

14:39And so it's just a way of sending a very strong message that this time around, the regional bloc ECOWAS and also neighboring countries were taking the issue of coups seriously because West Africa is already grappling with a very bloody jihadist insurgency. They are trying to do everything to ensure that they protect democracy in the region as a credible form of government. Thomas Nadi.

15:09Later in the podcast... All I'm doing is seeing the things that I think are interesting. Sometimes they're funny too. And people are funny. So how can the work not be funny at some point in their production? We look back at the life of British photographer Martin Parr, who's died at the age of 73.

15:34If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

16:13The claim that white farmers in South Africa are being deliberately targeted by violent criminals remains one of the country's most sensitive issues. This year, US President Donald Trump intensified the debate by calling the situation a genocide and prioritising refugee applications from white Afrikaners. Over 26 ,000 murders were recorded in South Africa last year, with the majority concentrated in urban areas. South Africa rejects the claim of genocide, but the White House's intervention has cast dividing lines throughout the Afrikaner community, as Africa Eyes Claire Moisa reports. Just a note, you may hear some distressing content here.

16:56Sat amidst the rolling grasslands of the Heifelt Plateau, Martinez's farm feels isolated. A few other lonely farmsteads dot the horizon around us. He earns a decent living, but he no longer believes his family has a future here. I always have that thing in my mind that when they're going to come and kill us or torture us. He's applied for refugee status in America, concerned that his wife and children could one day fall victim to a farm murder. It's a fear grounded in personal tragedy. They came into my grandpa's bedroom and then he hammered that shotgun on my grandfather's face. My grandfather turned up again and then he shot him two times in his head.

17:47Brutal, often high-profile murders of white farmers have fueled the belief that the killing of Afrikaners amounts to genocide. It's a genocide that's taking place that you people don't want to write about, but it's a terrible thing that's taking place and farmers are being killed. They happen to be white, but whether they're white or black makes no difference to me. Black people were forced off their land by the government under apartheid. Decades after its end, white South Africans still own the majority of privately owned farmland. But Donald Trump's claim of genocide has proven divisive, even amongst those he's offering to protect.

18:29See, there the fence is complete, there it's been cut. But that's another clear sign that there's somebody in here right now as we speak. We join Morgan Barrett on a night-time patrol of his farm.

18:45Like many white farm owners, Morgan employs black South African security guards and black workers are frequently amongst the victims of farm attacks. I think the people who are calling it white genocide have no real understanding of what a genocide is. If they thought that the black guy had 20 ,000 rand sitting in a safe, they'd attack him just as quickly as they'd attack the white guy with 20 ,000 in the safe. Morgan tells us he has no intention of leaving, but even if the claims of genocide are ill-founded, the chance at a new life in America remains tempting. Hi, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, Mama.

19:24Colleen and her children relocated after their farm was burgled. She's been unemployed for 10 years. Now Donald Trump's offer could see her family divided. She's determined to go, but her daughter Vilma wishes to stay. Every morning when they go to school, I worry, I worry if something's happening. My biggest challenge is to find a decent job, but I don't have to fight every day for my income. Older generation, white people still feel that race thing, like they're scared of black people, black people constantly need to show, listen, I'm safe. I have high hopes for the younger generation. We'll make it work.

20:06Colleen submitted her application and has been advised to complete more paperwork. Back in the Heifeld, Martinez and his family have had their application approved. They now prepare to leave their home as recognised refugees. Claire Moisa. Step aside Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Formula One has a brand new world champion. Britain's Lando Norris clinched the title on Sunday after coming third in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of the season. Trevor Carlin from junior motor racing team Carlin Motorsport spotted Lando's talent, helping to nurture him at the beginning of his career.

20:46He told my colleague Rebecca Kesby more about the potential he saw in the new world champion early on. He was known as the next British wonder kid, as they're called. Basically, you look at their results, and what they've done in the past, and who they've raced for and what they've done. And you just see the ones that are on the crest of a wave. And if they drive for good teams, they tend to stay on the crest of the wave and keep going and going and going. So basically, you look for winners. That's what Lando was. What makes a winner, though? I mean, what's in the personality and the ability that allowed him to be like that so early on?

21:20They've got to have a real great feel for their environment and what's going on, then how to adapt it mentally and then have the work ethic to keep going and keep going and keep going. I mean, bear in mind Lando's been driving some sort of vehicle since he was probably four or five years old and he's still doing it every day and he's working hard. So it's that work ethic and the natural talent that goes with it. And when you get those two things together, it's hard to beat. You talk about the mentality, the need to be mentally strong there because Formula One drivers come under a lot of pressure don't they obviously there's the big team behind them but on the day they're the ones out there alone driving there may be 1400 people behind Lando at the McLaren factory and in the pits and everything but the one person that can make the difference on the day is that driver and if something goes wrong or the driver makes a mistake you've got millions and millions of people watching him do it on live tv and then the commentators questioning everything they do and stuff like this so the pressure is immense but the great thing about top professional racing drivers is they can compartmentalize they can put things in little boxes and they don't think about anything else apart from driving the car when they're driving so it's a great mental skill and I think it's underestimated what these kids do and as you say every move is scrutinized and trawled over in the press how would you describe Lando's personality in terms of his ability to deal with all of that?

22:51It's very difficult for him because he's a very shy, quiet young man, actually. But, you know, he's grown a confidence to deal with the circumstances and he coats very, very well with it. But he's very introverted. When he'd finished working with the guys, then he'd just sit in the back of the truck and put his hoodie up and just sit there on his phone like other kids and keep himself to himself. So he's a quiet young man. He's had to adapt to the world he's now in, which is high profile, high media expectations. And I think he's done an amazing job of coping with it, to be honest with you. He's obviously not my son, but he's as close as possible as you can get.

23:25You know, I've followed his whole journey and very, very proud. And hopefully it's the first of many championships for him and first of many great memories for me to watch. Trevor Carlin giving the inside track on Lando Norris to Rebecca Kesby. The British photographer Martin Parr has died of cancer at the age of 73. For more than 50 years, Martin Parr took quirky and often humorous photographs of working class people doing everyday things like queuing for ice cream, sunbathing on the beach or camping. Here he is talking about his work. One of the good things about Britain is that we do have a good sense of humour.

24:00All I'm doing is seeing the things that I think are interesting, sometimes they're funny too, and people are funny. So how can the work not be funny at some point in their production? But I don't think of myself as being a humorous photographer. It's just naturally, you know, life is strange and life is funny. Our arts correspondent David Sillitoe knew Martin Parr and he told my colleague Julia McFarlane what he loves about the photographs. If you want somebody who evokes Britishness and real Britishness, go to his photographs of New Brighton, The poor people there who are sunburnt in seagull-strewn chip shop disarray, trying to have fun in what looks to be the bleakest of environments.

24:49But there is humour and there is joy and there is that bright, vibrant colour. It is utter, utter working-class Britishness. and it had such an impact because it was the first time he used colour, colour photography and it just looks like a snap. You know, serious photography is black and white and it's got earnest people with lots of shadows and all sorts of things. There's this bright light in your face and you look at it and you go, oh, that feels a bit uncomfortable but it's also funny and it's moving all at the same time. And there was an awful lot of reactions like that to his pictures when, especially those New Brighton ones, some people laughed at them, some people saw a social provocation, and lots of others felt quite uncomfortable.

25:39Was it cruel? Was it mockery that was going on here? I think none of that. I mean, I met Martin several times over the years, and he was this strange, unassuming man. I mean, he could walk into a room. Some people have presents you know they're immediately there. He could be there for an hour and you wouldn't spot he was there. He had this sort of, I wouldn't want to call it anti-charisma, but he never drew attention to himself. And he'd take a few snaps and he'd have caught something and you'd see what he photographed. And he went, oh, that's what you saw. It will be the little detail. One of my favourite ones is from a fete, a church fete.

26:16And it's a picture of a cellophane-wrapped cucumber and cheese sandwich. You cannot think of anything more British, more unappealing. But just by the side of it is a little bowl and it goes, each person's allowed one cherry tomato each with their sandwich. And you go, I've been to that church fete. That's what he did. And there's a fantastic piece of footage of him at a book signing in France. And there's this huge queue of people. I mean, he was treated as a real serious artist. There are enormous numbers of exhibitions of his work because somehow to the rest of the world, that is Britain. It's not a Britain that maybe Britain feels entirely comfortable with.