Government slams Hun Sen over ‘scammer-style’ use of old Anutin photo

Government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat on Monday hit back at Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen for posting a photo of Thai Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dining with the governor of Pailin province, saying it was an old image being used in a “scammer-style” attempt at blackmail.

Siripong said the picture dated from a time when there were still no problems along the Thai–Cambodian border. Anutin’s visit to Cambodia then, which appeared to be at a restaurant, was entirely normal, he added.

He argued that Hun Sen’s decision to release the image was typical of their style, likening it to tactics used by scammers who later try to blackmail their targets.

According to Siripong, Anutin has already been informed and is unshaken, insisting firmly that old personal relationships cannot be compared with Thailand’s sovereignty.

Siripong urged the public to have full confidence in the Thai armed forces and the Foreign Ministry in handling the current border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. 

Both institutions had already demonstrated their capability and professionalism in many international forums, he said, adding that Thais should also have confidence in the prime minister and his government.

Asked whether this meant the prime minister did not care about Hun Sen’s move, Siripong replied that Anutin regarded the matter as nonsense.

“What we are focusing on today is not who used to have a relationship with whom. It is about national sovereignty,” he said. 

“Right now, the entire Thai nation is united. We should be asking what the Cambodian leader hopes to achieve by posting this kind of content. Does he want to incite attacks against the prime minister?”

Siripong reiterated that the photograph was taken during one of Anutin’s past visits to Cambodia, before the current border tensions arose.

Asked whether he believed Hun Sen might have more photos in reserve, Siripong said this was not a concern.

“If you look at the images, they simply show normal relations — going to a restaurant, visiting a temple. It is not as if he was walking into someone’s bedroom. The relationship was never that intimate,” he said.

On concerns that the controversy could further erode public trust in the government, Siripong acknowledged that some people support the administration while others do not, calling this a matter of individual attitude.

However, he again appealed for confidence in the military and the Foreign Ministry, saying the government’s visible stance showed its full backing for the actions taken by those agencies to protect the country’s interests.

Siripong was also asked whether this would be a good opportunity to counter previous allegations that members of the Bhumjaithai Party had invested in casinos.

He dismissed that notion, saying: “This is not about that. All of this began on their side. Their actions have directly threatened lives. From the images of our soldiers who were shot, we can see that without body armour one of them would likely have been killed.”

He stressed that while Thailand had superior military capability, it was still responding proportionately.

“This is about sovereignty. It is a long-festering issue. Thais have been asking for years when it will finally end. The government believes that this time it must be brought to an end,” he concluded.