Hun Sen wrote on his official Facebook page on the evening of August 6:
Two stories have circulated over the past few days. The first concerns Japanese drone aid to Thailand, Chinese drones supplied to Cambodia and South Korean sales of ammunition and aircraft to Thailand, all allegedly intended to help assassinate Hun Sen and Hun Manet. The second alleges that Thai leaders are plotting to assassinate
me and Prime Minister Hun Manet. If these two matters are left unexplained or allowed to fester, they will become major problems in the future. I would like to clarify them as follows:
1. Whatever the source of Cambodia’s or Thailand’s drones, weapons or aircraft, please do not widen the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand to include other countries. Those countries are helping to stop the conflict, supporting the ceasefire and working to restore peace between Cambodia and Thailand.
2. It is very hard to believe the claim that Thai leaders are plotting to assassinate me and Prime Minister Hun Manet. Even if Thai leaders hate or dislike us, they would not stoop to planning to kill us.
Throughout history, people often tried to kill capable commanders to make it easier to win a war. But times have changed. What we need now are people who can talk to each other to build peace.
Cambodia needs a Thai leader with enough authority to negotiate for peace, and Thailand likewise needs Cambodian leaders with enough authority. At present, only Hun Sen and Hun Manet are in a position to negotiate on the Cambodian side, and Hun Manet is negotiating in person. For that reason, Thai leaders have no reason to plan to kill us. If Hun Sen or Hun Manet really were killed at the hands of Thai leaders, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of new Hun Sens or Hun Manets would immediately arise on Cambodian soil,
creating a feud that would be hard to end for generations. Hun Manet and I are not little frogs that can easily be killed, either. These are further reasons to explain why Thai leaders are not planning to kill Hun Sen and Hun Manet.
The rumored plot alleges that Thai leaders would use aircraft to kill Hun Sen and Hun Manet. On this point, countries that sell fighter jets to Thailand should tighten the terms governing their use. Thailand previously used aircraft it bought from the United States and Sweden to strike deep inside Cambodia. Cambodia does not oppose the sale of fighter jets to Thailand, but please do not let Thailand use them to strike the territory of its neighbors Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia or Myanmar.
Preah Sihanouk Provincial Television. Written by ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត.
