Acting head of state and president of the Cambodian Senate Hun Sen has expressed concerns over continued encroachments by Thai troops and called on the US to monitor the issue closely to guarantee full respect of the ceasefire.
Hun Sen, who is acting head of state while His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni is abroad, had a courtesy meeting with US embassy chargé d’affaires Bridgette Walker today, September 5, at the Senate.
He explained that he wanted to discuss the latest situation concerning the Cambodia–Thailand border issue with Walker, particularly as the US played an important role in resolving the matter recently.
The Senate president told Walker directly that the July 28 ceasefire would not have been possible without the intervention of US President Donald Trump, according to Senate spokesperson Chea Thirith.
He expressed his deep gratitude for the timely intervention of Trump’s administration and the US secretary of state, adding that the US role on brokering the ceasefire prevented further casualties among both troops and civilians.
“Nonetheless, Hun Sen expressed concerns about the latest border developments between Cambodia and Thailand, especially the continued encroachment activities. On this point, he wants the US to monitor the situation and pay attention to ensuring the ceasefire is respected,” added Thirith.
Hun Sen also briefed Walker on the background of the border conflict and its developments since the July 28 ceasefire. He stressed that Cambodia has exercised maximum restraint to ensure compliance with the agreement. Cambodia’s position is to restore normalcy at the border. To that end, it has designated specific observers to ensure effective implementation of the ceasefire.
Walker thanked him for granting the meeting and highlighted the importance of Cambodia–US relations. She noted that relations between the two countries are currently improving and mentioned the US Embassy’s celebration of the 75th anniversary of Cambodia–US diplomatic ties. She also congratulated both Cambodia and Thailand on the ceasefire agreement.
She expressed appreciation to Hun Sen for his detailed briefing on the border issue.
“The US, particularly President Donald Trump and the US secretary of state, have paid very close attention to the developments, such as the Cambodia–Thailand border challenges. The US position is that we want to see the situation return to normalcy — in other words, we want peace for both countries,” she said.
She added that the US supports the deployment of ASEAN observers as previously agreed upon by both sides, and Washington will continue to encourage their implementation.
She also raised the issue of Cambodian immigrants in the US who are subject to repatriation. She requested support and cooperation from Hun Sen on this matter.
Hun Sen said he would make efforts to inform the Cambodian government to take this matter seriously, in order to accept Cambodian nationals being repatriated.
He explained that this is not a new issue but an old one dating back to his time as prime minister, and regardless of the circumstances, those individuals are Cambodian nationals. Therefore, when the US deports them, Cambodia must take responsibility and allow them to live in Cambodia again.
