A THAI academic and international media have indicated that former Cambodian prime minister and current Senate President Hun Sen still plays a direct role in controlling and commanding military affairs on the Thai-Cambodian border while Khmer authorities have violated their own constitution, Amarin TV said today (Aug. 3).
Mr. Jirayu Huangsap, spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Security Council, said international media outlets, including Reuters, published an article on July 31 that stated Hun Sen is at the helm of the border conflict with Thailand.
The Reuters report, published by Yahoo.com, said: When weeks of tensions escalated into a major border conflict with Thailand last week, former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appeared to take charge of his country’s response.
Photographs showed him at the end of a long table, speaking with military officers and poring over detailed maps, radio set in hand and a cup of Starbucks coffee within arms reach.
The former guerrilla fighter is no longer Cambodia’s leader, having passed on the premiership to his eldest son in 2023 after nearly four decades in power, and has taken over as the president of the Southeast Asian nation’s Senate.
But Hun Sen played an outsized role in events leading up to the deadliest fighting between Thailand and Cambodia in over a decade and – according to three diplomatic sources – showed his continuing influence during the five-day conflict.
On Friday, after artillery fired from Cambodia landed in civilian areas in Thailand’s border provinces, the Thai army took direct aim at him.
“Based on available evidence, it is believed that the Cambodian government, led by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, is behind these appalling attacks,” it said in a statement, using honorifics for the veteran politician.
Hun Sen has been consistently active online, wearing military uniform, meeting with military leaders, and posting messages attacking Thailand on his personal Facebook page. At the same time, Prime Minister Hun Manet, his son, has been significantly more subdued in his political role.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a Thai political scientist, said Hun Sen’s behaviour is a sign of a lack of confidence and his actions during the Thai-Cambodian border crisis may have violated provisions of the 1993 Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, specifically Articles 2 and 53, which stipulate the following key principles:
– Cambodia must not invade other countries and must not interfere in their internal affairs, directly or indirectly.
– Cambodia must resolve political issues peacefully and maintain permanent neutrality.
– Cambodia must not join military alliances that violate the principle of neutrality.
– Cambodia must not permit foreign military bases in the country and must not have its own military bases abroad, except under the framework of a request from the United Nations.
– Cambodia must adhere to the 1:100,000 scale map produced between 1933 and 1953, which was adopted internationally from 1963 to 1969, to define the border, not the currently claimed 1:200,000 scale map.
Prinya also pointed out Hun Sen and his son Hun Manet have violated international law by attacking civilians with rockets hitting hospitals and planting landmines in areas of religious significance and ancient sites.
They have also clearly violated their own constitution by ordering an invasion and citing a map that is not legally stipulated.
Jirayu added that the international community should closely monitor Cambodia’s use of power outside the framework of the constitution, as Hun Sen’s continued influence over the military and directing military operations could severely impact stability in the Asean region.
CAPTIONS:
Top; Spokesman of the Prime Minister’s Office Jirayu Huangsap, above, and an image of Cambodian leader Hun Sen, inset. Photo: Amarin TV
Front Page:Cambodian leader Hun Sen. File photo: Reuters and published by Yahoo!News
Also read: Thailand agrees on inviting US, China to observe upcoming border meeting
Thai army tells envoys Chong-arnma area is part of Thai territory
Thai army tells envoys Chong-arnma area is part of Thai territory
One Thai border area left unoccupied due to landmines
Nearly 200 Thai migrant workers want to return to Khmer dens
Concrete walls proposed built along Thai border to keep Khmers out
