(Phnom Penh): Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen recalled Cambodia’s military strategy used during the 2008 armed conflict with Thai forces over the Preah Vihear Temple.

Samdech Techo recounted that a Thai senior official, Sondhi Limthongkul, proposed forcibly seizing Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple as a bargaining chip to exchange for Preah Vihear Temple, which lies near the border and is considered more difficult to capture. He emphasised that such a plan would have completely failed, as Cambodian forces were fully prepared to counter any aggression.

Samdech Techo spoke on Thursday (May 29) in a special statement addressing the recent armed clash between Cambodian and Thai forces at the Emerald Triangle border area, Preah Vihear province.

“The [Thai senior official] said, ‘We should attack and seize Angkor Wat, then negotiate an exchange for Preah Vihear.’ I issued orders to the armed forces—specifically to Pol Saroeun—that from the Emerald Triangle to Ta Moan, Ta Krabey, and O'Smach, our forces must hold the line firmly—absolutely no penetration. However, if they dared to attack via Thmor Puok or Poipet, let them come,” the premier underscored.

He further explained his military strategy, “I am revealing my strategy now. Why did I allow them to enter? First, to prove to the world that they were invading Cambodian territory. Second, because when forces are not yet deployed, they remain compact and strong. But once deployed, they become stretched thin—like an extended line. If the Thai troops thinned out, then our troops would strike directly.”

Samdech declared that the Thai senior official who sought to trade Angkor Wat for Preah Vihear was unfit to be a military leader, but noted that had the plan been implemented, it would have fallen right into Cambodia’s tactical advantage: drawing Thai forces in to expose their aggression internationally and weaken their lines for a counterattack inside Cambodian territory.

Despite the four-year-long border conflict, Samdech Hun Sen recalled that Cambodia ensured the clashes did not affect other areas of bilateral cooperation. The skirmishes remained largely contained around the Keo Sekha Kiri Svarak Pagoda and the Preah Vihear Temple. Only in 2011 did the conflict expand to include the Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples.

Samdech concluded, “That is why we must maintain our military readiness. We are not excessively aggressive, but we must be prepared. If they strike from the left, we hit from the right—we will not hesitate.”
=FRESH NEWS

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