Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence has firmly rejected an allegation by Thailand that more than 250 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were launched from Cambodian territory and violated Thai airspace, calling the claim “completely unfounded”. In a statement issued on December 29, Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, spokeswoman for the Ministry of National Defence, said the Cambodian side categorically denies the accusation announced by Thailand earlier the same day. “The Ministry of National Defence of the Kingdom of Cambodia completely refutes these accusations,” she said, stressing that Cambodia remains fully committed to maintaining peace and stability along the shared border. The ministry reaffirmed the…
Author: Raksmey Hong
Evacuees at Wat Bat Thkao in Oddar Meanchey province’s Chongkal district are cultivating vegetables on three hectares of land to support their livelihoods. The initiative particularly benefits those from the red zone forced to remain at the safety centre for an extended period. The evacuation centre in Chongkal commune initially received 7,796 displaced families, or 30,857 people. As of December 28, the number had fallen significantly to 190 families, equivalent to 1,043 people. Across the province, a total of 67,924 families – representing 278,793 people – were affected, with 45,671 families, or around 213,120 people, now having returned home from…
Cambodian sculptor Sok Chamroeun has condemned the destruction of a Lord Vishnu statue during recent military actions by Thai forces, calling the act “beyond the definition of humanity” and an assault on faith, culture and history. Speaking to The Post, Chamroeun, a veteran sculptor and religious devotee, said the statue was not merely an artwork but a sacred symbol deeply rooted in the spiritual beliefs of local communities living around An Ses mountain. “The Lord Vishnu statue was built to honour the god who protects the land and the people living behind An Ses mountain,” he said. “For generations, people…
Neth Pheaktra, Minister of Information and honorary president of the Airavata Elephant Foundation, has strongly condemned Thai military’s “brutal and inhumane” aggression, saying it has not only claimed human lives but also devastated wildlife and protected ecosystems in northern Cambodia. In a statement released today, December 26, Pheaktra said Thai military attacks involving aerial bombardment, artillery shelling and advanced weaponry had caused severe environmental destruction in Preah Vihear province, including the killing of wildlife in conservation zones. “The Thai military’s aggression has not only caused destruction and the loss of human life; bullets of all kinds and bombs dropped from…
The destruction of a statue of Lord Vishnu on Cambodian territory by the Thai military has sparked sharp condemnation across India and drawn wider international attention, as religious groups, officials and media denounced the act as disrespectful and inflammatory amid an already tense border situation. Since December 24, Indian media outlets have extensively reported on the demolition of the Hindu deity statue, which was built in 2014 on Cambodian land near the Thailand–Cambodia border. The incident has triggered strong reactions among Hindu practitioners in India, many of whom described the act as an affront to religious sentiment and shared cultural…
Phnom Penh will host a unique charity event this Sunday as civil society groups, artists and cyclo drivers come together to raise funds for displaced families living in border camps. The initiative, organised by photographer and social advocate Miguel Jeronimo, brings together the Cyclo Association, the Local4Local project and mental health NGO TPO Cambodia, with additional support now extended by the Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF). The project is a collaboration between Local4Local and Blood of Kindness — previously featured for its blood donation drives — and the Cyclo Association, aiming to mobilise Phnom Penh’s iconic cyclos for a humanitarian cause. …
Cambodian Minister of National Defence Tea Seiha has responded to Thai media reports regarding a formal letter sent to the Thai defence ministry, saying the document has been misinterpreted and inaccurately presented to the public. In a social media post, Seiha said some Thai media outlets, both official and unofficial, had published the letter as if it were leaked, despite it being an official communication addressed directly to the Thai defence minister. “Some Thai media outlets have taken an official letter and presented it as if it were a leak,” he wrote. “Even with tools such as Google Translate or…
Through a multilingual message to the international community, Cambodian citizens and peace-loving people have been encouraged to use their voices to condemn Thai aggression. Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra called for broader awareness and condemnation of what he described as armed aggression by the Thai military against Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including attacks that have harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure. In a public message written in Khmer, English, French, Chinese and Arabic, the minister urged citizens and supporters abroad to raise their voices in multiple languages to expose what he called “inhumane acts” committed against the Cambodian people. His…
Cambodia and Thailand on December 24 resumed formal border talks at the General Border Committee (GBC) Secretariat level, with the aim of arranging a special meeting later this week that will focus on ending hostilities and restoring stability along their shared border. The meeting, held at the Prom–Pak Kard Permanent Border Checkpoint between Cambodia’s Pailin province and Thailand’s Chanthaburi, brings together delegations led by Major General Nhem Boraden of Cambodia and General Nuttapong Praokaew of Thailand. Discussions centre on document exchanges ahead of the 3rd Special GBC Meeting, scheduled for December 27. The talks will last until December 26. They…
The ongoing fighting along the Cambodia–Thailand border has devolved into a deadly war of attrition that continues to claim the lives of young soldiers on both sides, with troops being sacrificed for political ambitions rather than genuine national defense, according to Jean-François Tain, Minister attached to the Prime Minister. Speaking 23 days after the launch of Thai military operations along more than 800 kilometres of Cambodian territory, Tain said the Thai army has become bogged down in a conflict marked by static, grinding combat reminiscent of the trench warfare of the First World War. He compared the situation to the…