(Phnom Penh): Kung Phoak, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, stated that Thailand deliberately prepared to invade Cambodia by activating the “Chakrabongse Bhuvanath Plan” prior to the armed clashes on July 24.

Speaking at a press conference on the outcomes of a meeting between Cambodian diplomats and foreign envoys, he revealed that Thailand officially announced this plan and admitted it was the same plan used during the 2011 Preah Vihear border clashes. The “Chakrabongse Bhuvanath Plan” served as a fully prepared war strategy.

Kung Phoak underscored that the Preah Vihear Temple area has been repeatedly affirmed as Cambodian territory by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), first in 1962 and again in 2013. He questioned, “If they [Thailand] call it a ‘good plan’ to invade territory that is internationally recognized as belonging to Cambodia, isn’t that aggression against the sovereignty of a nation?” He stated that Thailand launched the Chakrabongse Bhuvanath Plan on July 23, followed by the armed clashes the next day, which is proof of a premeditated invasion coordinated at the highest levels of the Thai military and government.

He emphasized that Cambodia’s swift counterattack was an act of self-defence, as Cambodia has “no ambition to invade any country” and is simply protecting what is legally its own. Kung Phoak also highlighted Thai aggression since May 28, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an attack at the Emerald Triangle area, saying the events leading to the July 24 clashes at Ta Moan Thom temple demonstrate that Thailand effectively declared war on Cambodia by mobilizing forces in advance.
=FRESH NEWS