(Phnom Penh): On Tuesday night (Nov. 4), Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate of Cambodia, stated that he found it necessary to clarify to the Cambodian people not to misunderstand the issue regarding the reopening of the Cambodia-Thailand border checkpoints.

He added that he does not want the Cambodian people to be misinformed or misled in any way, affirming that since Thailand unilaterally closed the border gates, Cambodia has never requested Thailand to reopen them.

Samdech Techo wrote on his social media as follows:

“Since the signing of the Joint Statement between Cambodia and Thailand by the Prime Ministers of both countries, facilitated by the Malaysian Prime Minister in his capacity as ASEAN Chair and U.S. President Donald Trump as the Peace Envoy, we have observed notable progress. This includes the convening of the JBC and RBC meetings, as well as the initial withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the disputed area, under the supervision and verification of the ASEAN Observers Team (AOT). This marks a step toward ending or easing tensions between the two countries, a development we should all celebrate.

However, while expressing my appreciation, I find it necessary to inform the Cambodian people not to misunderstand the reopening of the Cambodia-Thailand border checkpoints. In recent times, some Thai leaders have repeatedly raised the topic of reopening the border, possibly turning it into a campaign issue for upcoming elections in Thailand.

The repeated remarks by Thai leadership, including the Prime Minister, regarding the reopening of border checkpoints have caused confusion among the Cambodian and Thai public, leading some to believe that Cambodia has requested Thailand to reopen the border.

I do not want the Cambodian people to go to bed with this misleading information. For the Thai public, it is an internal matter that may be exploited for election purposes, with the reopening of the border potentially being used as an election campaign topic.

To the Cambodian people, I wish to reiterate: ever since Thailand unilaterally closed the border, Cambodia has never asked Thailand to reopen it. If Thailand wants to keep it closed for another 100 or even 500 years, that is entirely their decision. After all, the key is in Thailand’s hands.

This closure has not led to Cambodia's downfall; on the contrary, it has created opportunities. It has prompted an increase in domestic goods, replacing Thai products, thereby stimulating local production growth.

I have conveyed to our international friends and counterparts that Thailand's closure of the border with Cambodia is not merely a severance of bilateral ties but a disruption to ASEAN and Asia as a whole. What becomes of the ASEAN highway, the ASEAN railway, and the Asia highway?

It is my hope that this message reaches Thai leadership and the Thai public, and makes it clear that Cambodia is not pleading for the reopening of border checkpoints. Likewise, I hope the Cambodian people will not be misled into thinking that their government is lowering itself to request Thailand’s cooperation on reopening the border.”
=FRESH NEWS