Martial Law: Declared

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Global Recap
July 25, 2025 • Read in: 8 minutes

Hi Global Recap readers,

Asia is heading into a turbulent weekend. Here's what you need to look out for:

  • 🇹🇭🇰🇭 Escalation of the Thailand—Cambodia conflict,

  • 🇹🇼 Taiwan voting to oust lawmakers seen as pro-China, and

  • 🇭🇰 Hong Kong putting bounties on pro-democracy activists.

But to start off, let’s take a look at why President Trump thinks Hamas leaders might be suicidal. 👇️

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇮🇱🇵🇸 Ceasefire Talks Collapse

🇮🇱Israel and the US just walked away from Gaza ceasefire negotiations, saying Hamas isn’t serious about peace.

  • Trump predicts Hamas leaders will be “hunted down,” adding, "Hamas really didn't want to make a deal. I think they want to die.“

  • Netanyahu says Israel will now “seek alternative means” to bring the hostages home from Gaza.

🇮🇱 Gaza Airdrops OK’d

Israel just gave the nod for foreign airdrops of aid into Gaza as stories circulate about kids dying from hunger.

  • News outlets first pointed fingers at Israel for blocking food convoys, but Israel pushed back with footage showing 950 food trucks, cleared for distribution by Israel, were left undistributed by the UN.

    • This led to them asking why it isn’t reaching starving families.

    • Press were also invited to take a look.

Hamas officials allegedly hoarding and gorging on food.
Click for video

  • Another clip surfaced showing what appear to be Hamas officials gorging on food in an underground tunnel.

    • Although, a recent USAID analysis concluded that there’s no Hamas theft of Gaza aid.

  • Jordan and the UAE are about to start airdrops, though experts call the move “largely symbolic.”

🇹🇭 Martial Law in Thailand

Cambodia’s BM-21 Grad being used against Thailand.
Click for video

Thailand just slapped martial law on eight districts near Cambodia after artillery and rocket fire erupted at the border.

  • Fighting started Thursday by the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple between Surin (Thailand) and Oddar Meanchey (Cambodia).

  • Thai officials say one soldier and 13 civilians are dead, with dozens more wounded; Cambodia also confirms its first fatality.

  • Over 58,000 Thais and 4,000 Cambodians have fled to shelters as both sides trade blame and airstrikes.

  • The UN Security Council is meeting in emergency session today. That said, Thailand has turned down offers of mediation from the US, China, and Malaysia—preferring to negotiate directly with Cambodia.

We recently made a quick video on this on Business Basics too.

📌 Context: Tensions have been rising since May, when a Cambodian soldier died in a border skirmish. Both countries accuse each other of starting the latest clashes.

🇹🇼 Can Taiwan Kick Lawmakers?

Taiwanese lawmakers have been brawling in parliament lately due to the political gridlock.

Heading into the weekend, here's a reminder about Saturday's recall vote targeting 31 lawmakers accused of being too cozy with China.

  • Dubbed “the Great Recall,” the vote could flip control of the legislature back to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

  • Protests have rocked Taipei for months, with the Bluebird movement accusing the Kuomintang (KMT) opposition of pushing Beijing’s agenda.

  • To remove a lawmaker, turnout must reach 25%, and a majority must vote yes.

📌 Context: After January’s election, the DPP kept the presidency but lost the legislature to the KMT.

🇭🇰 HONG KONG
Bounties for Distant Dissent

Hong Kong authorities just put price tags on 19 exiled pro-democracy activists.

The city’s police are calling out anyone who supports the “Hong Kong Parliament” group—known for "opposing one-party dictatorship and tyranny."

Who’s on the Hook?

Let’s break down the numbers and names.

  • Arrest warrants target Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi, Victor Ho, plus 15 others.

  • Most have a 200,000 HKD (about $25,500) bounty on their heads, while Yuen, Ho, Fok, and Choi are worth 1 million HKD each.

  • The group is accused of “subversion” for pushing a new Hong Kong constitution.

What Triggered This?

Here’s what set things off.

  • The “Hong Kong Parliament” group, mostly based in Canada, hosted an online vote to form a rival legislature.

  • The vote, run on Facebook and an app, drew 15,700 ballots.

  • Police say the group’s goal is to “overthrow China’s power” and warn helping them could land you in trouble.

Beijing’s Grip Tightens

This isn’t a first though, and it’s not looking like the last.

  • It’s actually the fourth time Hong Kong has issued activist bounties since Beijing’s national security law hit in 2020.

  • Over 330 people have been arrested under the law so far.

  • Even minor acts, like an 18-year-old’s “seditious words” on a bathroom wall, have led to arrests.

📌 Context: China’s national security law, imposed in 2020, criminalizes anything Beijing sees as subversion, secession, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces. As a result, certain books and songs were banned, and even a polling institute was raided.

• Critics say it’s crushed Hong Kong’s freedoms and wiped out dissent, with Western governments calling it the end of “one country, two systems.”

• Pro-democracy voices say free speech and protest have been “gutted."

• It’s hard for imagine your democratic freedoms vanishing almost overnight, but that’s exactly what Hong Kong has experienced, and is still dealing with today.

A Movement Scattered

So where are these activists now?

  • Members are scattered across Australia, Canada, Taiwan, Thailand, the US, and the UK.

  • Despite the “parliament” name, the group has no official power.

  • Police are still promising more bounties if “necessary.”