Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
After a simmering border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia escalated yesterday, Switzerland has called on both sides to show restraint.
Meanwhile some Swiss nationals live in the affected border region, including one expatriate who told Swissinfo the story of his hasty evacuation.
Also in the news on Friday: never have so many people travelled by train in Switzerland as in the period between April and June this year.
An old border spat between Thailand and Cambodia has escalated again. Both sides have been reporting exchanges of fire – and fatalities. Tens of thousands had to be evacuated, including Swiss nationals.
Cambodian artillery has hit Thai territory, Thailand has flown air strikes. Both governments accuse each other of provocation. Border crossings are closed, ambassadors have been recalled, and people on the Thai side have been evacuated. Charly Hofmann, a Swiss expatriate in the Tap Thai/Ban Khok Ra Ka region, was also forced to leave his home this morning.
The combat zone is far from the beaten – touristic – track, explains Swiss public broadcaster, SRF. Travellers to Thailand rarely stray into this province of Surin, some 400 kilometres from Bangkok; northwestern Cambodia isn’t a classic travel destination either. Swiss travel agencies said as much to nau.ch and watson.ch.
At the centre of the conflict is a border region around ancient temples, which has been disputed for decades. The conflict has its roots in the colonial era; clashes have been recurring ever since, SRF reports. Open war is currently considered unlikely, but observers warn of escalation. Switzerland is calling for restraint.
Cases of child abductions tend to increase during the holiday season. And if proceedings to return the child drag on – sometimes for years – it can lead to bitter consequences for children who become estranged from the person they left behind.
Mohamed Tamri has not seen his son for several years. After going on holidays to Morocco, the boy’s mother simply stayed there; she has since ignored several repatriation orders, SRF reports. The boy now believes his grandfather is his father.
Both Switzerland and Morocco have signed the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, which in such cases stipulates a fast return within six weeks. However, repeated appeals mean that the process can be hugely delayed in some countries – with serious consequences for the child.
“We don’t want to point the finger at individual countries,” Ingrid Ryser from the Federal Office of Justice tells SRF. For her, it would be counterproductive if people knew that cases in certain countries are not processed as quickly. A comparison however shows that in states like Germany, where legal remedies are limited, returns happen much faster. Tamri, for his part, remains at a loss: any unenforced judgement regarding his son is worthless to him.
It’s not just the Women’s Euro2025 which is currently drawing crowds in Switzerland. The country’s railways are also reporting record visitors.
Public transport in Switzerland is becoming increasingly popular, show the latest figures by the public transport information service. According to the data, Swiss trains logged almost six billion passenger-kilometres in the second quarter of 2025, more than ever before.
Compared to last year, 3.6% more people thus travelled by public transport between April and June in 2025. And compared to the first quarter of 2025, the increase is even bigger, at 8.6%, reports Watson. However, the numbers don’t include freight; almost 10% fewer goods were transported compared to the same quarter last year.
Meanwhile, frustration is growing in French-speaking western Switzerland over the lack of international night-train connections, RTS Info reports. While German-speaking Switzerland is set to receive a new subsidised connection with a planned night line between Basel and Malmö, there’s still a lack of major routes heading south – much to the displeasure of French-speaking Switzerland, which feels overlooked.
After a judgement by the Federal Court paved the way for action, Zurich plans to cover up two inscriptions on historical building facades. Critics warn of crossing a cultural line; others say it’s an overdue step.
The decision concerns inscriptions such as “Zum Mohrenkopf” or “Zum Mohrentanz” on historic buildings [the old German word “Mohr” is a controversial term referring to black Africans]. While the Zurich Heritage Society opposes covering such letterings, the Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism has called for Switzerland to take a more critical look at its past, SRF writes.
Historians such as Caspar Hirschi meanwhile argue for a nuanced approach rather than a general policy of covering problematic or racist-connotated cultural monuments. Many things are historically ambivalent, and repressing the past doesn’t make it disappear, he reckons. “Things become taboo instead of being addressed,” Hirschi told SRF.
Ultimately, for Hirschi, it’s best to decide on a case-by-case basis. But whether covered, explained or removed, what’s clear is that debates about problematic monuments are gaining momentum.
Translated from German by DeepL/dos
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
