Following a period of reduced social media activity since the outbreak of the July 24 to 28 armed conflict with Thailand, Prime Minister Hun Manet has issued a statement answering people’s perceptions of his silence.
In a September 9 Facebook post, the prime minister clarified several border-related issues, including the seeming silence of some leaders, support for frontline troops, troop withdrawals and alleged land swaps with Thailand.
“Some may think that only frequent public statements on television or social media by the Prime Minister or key figures indicate that the government is not communicating. In a rapidly changing and uncertain situation, ensuring the consistency of information is crucial to avoid confusion among the public,” he said.
He explained that to maintain information consistency, the Royal Government established mechanisms and assigned spokespersons, including those from the government, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Secretariat for Border Affairs, and relevant provincial authorities, to regularly disseminate information.
On suspicions of troop withdrawals, Manet clarified that during the implementation of the ceasefire, no orders were issued to retreat forces, and no conditions in ceasefire negotiations required either side to withdraw from their positions.
Regarding claims that past negotiations involved land swaps between Cambodia and Thailand, he firmly stated that no such discussions took place. The July 28 ceasefire agreement in Malaysia focused solely on halting hostilities, and prior bilateral talks did not address border demarcation.
He further noted that the outcomes of the July 28 special meeting, as well as subsequent extraordinary GBC and RBC meetings, were all publicly disclosed with no secrecy or hidden negotiations beyond those meetings.
On border negotiations, he reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to resolving disputes peacefully through existing mechanisms like the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) of both Cambodia and Thailand, based on valid agreements, treaties and international law.
Manet also emphasised that the Royal Government has never neglected its responsibilities toward soldiers, national police and other citizens who were affected by the conflict or other violations.
He added that the lack of public reports or posts by ministries about support for frontline troops might have led some to mistakenly believe the government is neglecting them. However, the government consistently prioritises not only frontline troops and affected citizens but also the entire nation, across all sectors.
The prime minister expressed gratitude to all Cambodians for their patriotism and support for frontline forces through contributions of food, supplies and resources, in addition to the government’s efforts.
