Cambodia's Hun Sen accuses Thai PM of ‘insulting king'
Thailand has strict lese majeste laws, which bans criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family. (EPA Images pic)
PHNOM PENH : Cambodia's influential ex-premier Hun Sen today accused Thailand's prime minister of insulting the Thai king, as tensions between the neighbouring countries intensified.
He said prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's comments about her military commander – who she labelled an 'opponent' – in a leaked phone call with the veteran leader over a border dispute were 'an insult to the king'.
'An insult to a regional commander is an insult to the Thai king because it is only the king who issued a royal decree to appoint him,' Hun Sen said in a livestream on his official Facebook page.
The daughter of controversial ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra – who goes on trial for lese-majeste next week – faces being sacked as prime minister as the phone call scandal has triggered calls for her to step down and her government to teeter.
Hun Sen – father of Cambodia's prime minister Hun Manet and former close ally to Thaksin – last week posted the full 17-minute recording of the private conversation on his official Facebook page.
'I just let Thailand know how the prime minister committed a dirty act to their nation,' he said today.
In the recording posted online, the two leaders discussed restrictions imposed on border crossings after a military clash last month killed a Cambodian soldier.
Thailand has strict lese majeste laws, which bans criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family and carries sentences of up to 15 years in jail per offence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Thailand pushes for diplomacy after ex-Cambodia PM's 'extraordinary' attack
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks to administrative officials at the 12th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Battalion (Fort Surasinghanat) of a Thailand-Cambodia border town of Aranyaprathet district, as she battles to stay in power after drawing sharp criticism of her handling of a border row with Cambodia, in Sa Kaeo province, Thailand, June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's foreign ministry said on Friday it was taken aback by an unprecedented public attack on the Thai premier and her family by Cambodia's influential former leader, but stressed the need for diplomacy to resolve an escalating bilateral dispute. In a televised address that lasted more than three hours, veteran Cambodian politician Hun Sen rebuked Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for her handling of a festering border row between the neighbours. Hun Sen, who led Cambodia for nearly four decades until stepping down in 2023, also took aim at Paetongtarn's father, divisive billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, until recently his close ally. "It surprised us, and it's quite extraordinary in terms of diplomatic norms," foreign ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura told Reuters. "Thailand has opened a lot of doors, and I insist that these doors remain open even after what happened this morning." Hun Sen, who is now president of Cambodia's senate but still holds enormous clout, accused Paetongtarn of looking down at him and his son, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. On Thaksin, who faces an impending court case over the legitimacy of a hospital stay that allowed him to skip prison time, Hun Sen said the former Thai leader faked his illness. "Thaksin was not sick," he said. "He pretended to be sick." Paetongtarn, 38, has come under enormous domestic pressure following the leak of the audio of June 15 phone call between her and Hun Sen, in which she appeared overtly deferential to him and also criticised a Thai military commander. That call came after an escalation in tensions along a disputed border between the Southeast Asian nations, where a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of gunfire with Thai forces in late May. Despite Hun Sen's public vilification, Thailand is working to open a dialogue between both foreign ministers. "We are looking at the earliest possible venue where both sides can talk," Nikorndej said. "Speaking for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are a strong advocate for peaceful resolution through dialogue." At the root of the current tensions is a longstanding dispute over various undemarcated points along their 817 km (508 miles) land border. Following the recent flare-up, which also led to reinforcement of troop on both sides of the border, Cambodia said it would seek resolution by the International Court of Justice. Thailand does not recognise the ICJ's jurisdiction, but has gathered legal teams to study Cambodia's application and also talked with members of the United Nation Security Council to push its position, Nikorndej said, without naming those members. "We're doing everything we can to try to convince Cambodia to come to bilateral talks," Nikorndej said. (Additional reporting by Chantha Lach in Phnom Penh, Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Martin Petty)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Amnesty says Cambodia is enabling brutal scam industry
Barbed wire fences are seen outside a shuttered Great Wall Park compound where Cambodian authorities said they had recovered evidence of human trafficking, kidnapping and torture during raids on suspected cybercrime compounds in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, Cambodia Sept 21, 2022. - Reuters file photo BANGKOK: Human rights group Amnesty International accused Cambodia's government on Thursday (June 26) of "deliberately ignoring" abuses by cybercrime gangs that have trafficked people from across the world, including children, into slavery at brutal scam compounds. The London-based group said in a report that it had identified 53 scam centres and dozens more suspected sites across the country, including the nation's capital, Phnom Penh. The prison-like compounds were ringed by high fences with razor wire, guarded by armed men and staffed by trafficking victims forced to defraud people across the globe, it said, with those inside subjected to punishments including shocks from electric batons, confinement in dark rooms, and beatings. Amnesty said its findings revealed a "pattern of state failures" that allowed the billion-dollar industry to flourish, including failures to investigate human rights abuses, identify and assist victims, and regulate security companies and tools of torture. Cambodian government spokesman Pen Bona said the country rejected allegations of inaction, pointing to a task force led by Prime Minister Hun Manet formed in January and saying the report was "exaggerated". He said Cambodia was one of the victims of the scam industry and wanted cooperation rather than blame. While Cambodia has overseen raids that have freed some trafficked workers, Amnesty said it found more than two-thirds of scam compounds were either not investigated by police or had continued to operate even after police interventions. Two compounds did appear to have been shut down, the group said. During rescue efforts, police did not enter compounds but met representatives who handed over only the victim who had called for help, the group said, while some survivors were beaten by their bosses after trying to contact the police. The government spokesman did not respond to those claims. "Deceived, trafficked and enslaved, the survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare - enlisted in criminal enterprises that are operating with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government,' said Amnesty International's Secretary General Agnes Callamard. Cambodia emerged during the pandemic as a hub for the global scam industry as mostly Chinese-led criminal groups repurposed unused casinos and hotels as scam centres housing as many as 100,000 people, according to the United Nations. Similar enclaves have flourished in Myanmar and Laos. The industry in Cambodia now generates more than US$12.5 billion annually - half of the country's GDP, according to the United States Institute for Peace. Thailand and Cambodia have traded barbs over the scam issue in recent days as border tensions have heated up, with the Thai prime minister calling for a crackdown in Cambodia and another government official calling the country a hub for cybercrime. The criminal gangs entice trafficking victims with fake job offers posted on social media and then force them to financially exploit people online including through fake romances or "pig-butchering' schemes in which the scammer builds trust with a victim before stealing their money, Amnesty said. Nine out of 58 survivors interviewed by Amnesty were children, the group said, including a 16-year-old boy from China who was kicked and barred from leaving. Amnesty said it had confirmed the death of a Chinese child in one compound. An 18-year-old Thai survivor told Reuters he was trafficked to a compound in Phnom Penh in 2023 and then, when he tried to leave, sold to another compound close to the Vietnamese border. The man, who asked not to be named, was forced to use deepfake video software to pose as an older attractive man to lure Thai women into handing over their money. After almost a year, he threw himself out of a window, injuring himself, and escaped after hiding in a hospital. - Reuters
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Thai police thwart bomb plot, defuse explosives at Phuket airport and top tourist sites
BANGKOK, June 27 — Thai police have found and defused four explosive devices at Phuket airport and at popular tourist destinations on the holiday island, the Bangkok Post reported on Friday, according to German news agency (dpa). A motorcycle packed with explosives was found at the airport on Wednesday, two devices were found at Patong Beach on the west coast and one at Phromthep Cape at the southern tip. On Tuesday, police arrested two suspects, who divulged details of the explosive devices planted, according to the Khaosod newspaper. The suspects are reported to be from the southern Thai province of Pattani. Their motive was unclear. Phuket airport advised travellers to allow additional time for check-in and security procedures. — Bernama-dpa
