Senate president Hun Sen has announced that while restraint has been exercised for over 24 hours to honour the ceasefire and allow time to evacuate citizens to safe zones, Cambodia is now forced to strike back to defend its territory.
In a Facebook message posted minutes ago, Hun Sen shared that Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has announced plans to use force to capture 11 specific points, though Cambodia is unsure of the exact locations. He explained that to simplify matters and avoid the difficulty of locating specific targets, all branches of the Cambodian armed forces must strike back at every point where the enemy attacks.
“We are defending our territory with strong bunkers and all types of weaponry. As for the invading enemy, they must expose themselves to attack our positions; they cannot carry bunkers with them, nor are their heads made of iron. This situation gives us the advantage to implement strategies to destroy the enemy’s manpower through organised resistance,” he said.
He also highlighted the boastful remarks of the Thai 1st Army Region Commander, who claimed that the Thai military would destroy Cambodia’s long-term national defence capabilities to ensure the security of the Thai people.
“This general’s words are even bolder than those of the world’s military superpowers,” he said, adding, “We certainly will not sit idly by and let you destroy [us] as you please”.
Hun Sen also hit back at criticism from Cambodian opposition politicians who previously accused the government of being “warmongers” when Cambodia retaliated in self-defence in July. He noted that when Cambodia exercised restraint to honour the ceasefire and sought a peaceful solution, those same politicians claimed Cambodia was afraid of Thailand and dared not fight, or was ceding territory to Thailand in exchange for peace.
“Now, we are fighting to defend ourselves once again. What will they say next? Cambodia desires peace, but Cambodia is forced to strike back to defend our territory,” he said.
