Hun Manet says ceasefire won’t cost Cambodia territory, vows self-defence
Hun Manet says the Dec 27 ceasefire with Thailand does not mean ceding territory or waiving self-defence, calling the move necessary to protect lives
The Phnom Penh Post reported that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has sought to ease public concerns that Cambodia could lose territory to Thailand under the ceasefire, saying Phnom Penh is “adhering to the path of peace” while maintaining its right to defend itself.
“Cambodia is adhering to the path of peace and prioritising above all else the lives and wellbeing of the people,” Hun Manet was quoted as saying on December 29, stressing that the December 27 ceasefire does not mean Cambodia is any less committed to national defence. He said the decision to implement the ceasefire should not be read as Cambodia being willing to trade territorial integrity for peace, nor as abandoning the right to self-defence or lacking the capacity to exercise it.
According to the report, the two sides issued a joint statement on December 27 declaring an “immediate ceasefire”, with troops on both sides required to remain where they were when hostilities stopped—an arrangement that some critics have claimed amounts to Cambodia losing ground. Hun Manet countered that while Cambodia could continue to withstand fighting, it would gain “absolutely no benefit” from prolonging the conflict, particularly as a smaller country.
He was quoted as saying the government chose negotiations to stop the fighting before it widened, “in order to minimise the pain and suffering” of the people. He added that ending the fighting was also meant to stop sacrifices and injuries among soldiers, police and civilians, saying “war cannot be ended by war”. The report said 32 civilians have been killed and 93 injured so far.
Hun Manet also addressed the question of troop positions, saying that maintaining forces in place when the ceasefire began is not linked to border demarcation. He said the international boundary remains determined by existing treaties and conventions, and that Cambodia retains its right to resolve the issue with Thailand through international law and existing bilateral mechanisms. He highlighted Point 3 of the joint statement, which tasks the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) with resuming surveying and demarcation “as soon as possible”, particularly in affected border areas where civilians previously lived.
He ended with a unity message, saying the sacrifices of those on the battlefield should remind Cambodians that “division is death” and that strong unity is life.
