AKP Phnom Penh, May 31, 2025 -- 

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate of Cambodia, has issued a three-point clarification regarding the recent armed clash with neighbouring Thailand, emphasising that it is part of a recurring effort to seize Cambodian land—an action reportedly initiated by lower-level Thai military commanders and backed by extremist Thai groups.

The clarification came in response to a wave of insults and offensive comments posted on Samdech Techo Hun Sen’s Facebook page by Thai extremists. “Their intention is to damage the good relationship between the governments and peoples of Cambodia and Thailand and to stir up tensions that could lead to military conflict between the two countries,” he wrote in a social media post on Friday night.

“Some Thai individuals are demanding that Cambodia withdraw its troops from an area currently held by Cambodian forces. To prevent any misunderstanding of history, I want to clarify three points:

1. This Emerald Triangle area is Cambodian land, and Cambodian troops have been stationed there since before the Paris Peace Agreement—about 13 or 14 years before the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding. UNTAC might be able to serve as a witness. If things are still unclear, Cambodia and Thailand could agree to bring this issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, using internationally recognised official maps (not self-drawn maps meant to claim land), to end the matter with the strategy ‘not sit and stop the smoke, but to put out the fire completely,’ for the happiness and unity of future generations, and not to let the same thing happen again.

2. Several photos of me, my wife, and my colleagues visiting the area over 15 years ago clearly prove that this is Cambodian land. There’s no way I could have worn a military uniform and taken photos on Thai or Lao territory in that area. At that time, I was receiving Lao soldiers at a ceremonial hall there (which was burned down a few years ago).

3. Cambodia cannot withdraw its troops from its own territory just because Thailand demands it. This same tactic was used by former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who told me in front of the President of Indonesia in 2011 that both sides should withdraw their troops from the Preah Vihear temple area.

I told Abhisit clearly that I cannot pull Cambodian troops out of our own land, and that he should withdraw his invading troops without any conditions. What happened in the Emerald Triangle area three days ago is just another episode of a recurring scheme to grab land from Cambodia, driven by lower-level commanders and supported by extremist Thai groups.”

By C. Nika