(Phnom Penh): As gunfire and air-dropped bombs from Thai aircraft along the border have turned entire areas into landscapes of fear, many people have begun to ask themselves quietly: Can the Cambodian nation disappear from the world map, especially as Thai leaders openly vow to continue military attacks against Cambodia?
This is not merely a geographical question. It is a question of national psychology. Today’s aggressor does not only seek to seize Cambodian land by planting its flag without shame or by destroying ancient Khmer temples to erase national identity. Its deeper ambition is to seize hope itself—through rumors, disinformation, and incitement designed to fracture the nation from within.
This in-depth Fresh Exclusive commentary makes one point unmistakably clear: Cambodia cannot “die” and cannot “disappear” from the world map as long as the Cambodian people preserve national unity, moral integrity, and resistance grounded in international law. The planting of flags or military occupation by force cannot legally transform Cambodian territory into Thai territory. What can truly destroy Cambodia’s hope is only internal division and subversion—attempts to fracture national unity from within. Yet the Cambodian people clearly recognize this strategy and will not allow the nation to fall into despair.
Enemy Flags May Stand on Land, But Never on Law or National Spirit
An aggressor may plant its flag when it forcibly seizes Cambodian land, but such an act is nothing more than a symbol devoid of legal legitimacy. In the modern international legal order, occupation by force is not proof of sovereignty.
What the aggressor truly seeks is victory over the national psyche—to convince the people that hope is lost or that the world has abandoned them. Once a nation loses faith in itself, the enemy wins without needing to win the war.
Cambodians must remember: an enemy may temporarily plant its flag on our land, but that flag does not represent international legality, nor does it represent the spirit of the Cambodian nation.
Therefore, the strongest response today is not rage, but resilience—maintaining a firm national spirit, rejecting false information and fabricated “evidence,” persisting in legal and diplomatic struggle without retreat, and preserving unity and mutual trust. Only then can Cambodia remain unconquerable.
Cambodia Is Not Small When the Nation Stands Together
A country’s “size” is not measured on a map, but in the hearts and unity of its people.
When monks, citizens, students, youth, and volunteers work tirelessly to support frontline defenders—raising funds, donating food, and giving blood to aid soldiers and displaced civilians—these actions are far more than charity. They send a powerful message:
“Cambodia is not collapsing. Cambodia is standing shoulder to shoulder—with its frontline defenders and with its Royal Government—to protect the nation and resist aggression, without retreat.”
War can destroy property and national achievements, but it cannot destroy a society bound together in unity. Nations with strong solidarity recover faster because they understand that the suffering of the nation is a shared destiny, not the burden of individuals alone.
Extremist Subversion: The Most Dangerous Enemy
At times, enemy weapons at the border are less dangerous than incitement from within. A nation may defeat external enemies, but it can be defeated by internal subversion.
Today, a small group serving foreign interests is actively inciting division within Cambodia to pursue reckless political ambitions. Their political game turns the nation into a bargaining chip, uses civilian suffering and the blood of Cambodian soldiers as tools in power calculations, and serves not national interests but national destruction.
The idea of calling on foreign powers to overthrow Cambodia’s current government is not a political alternative—it is an act of national delusion that cannot be tolerated. Extremist elements led by traitor Sam Rainsy are attempting to mortgage Cambodia’s future for personal political revenge, risking the nation’s prosperity and stability for their own vendettas.
Conclusion
Why can the enemy not destroy Cambodia? Because a nation is not an object that can be erased by enemy flags or by wars that destroy ancient temples in an attempt to wipe out national identity.
Cambodia is a fully sovereign state, recognized by the world, including:
- The United Nations (UN)
- More than 190 countries in the international community
- Clearly defined borders established by historical documents and international law, including the 1904–1907 maps and the International Court of Justice rulings of 1962 and 2013
Therefore, the planting of flags or military occupation by force cannot transform Cambodian territory seized through violence into legally recognized territory under international law. Such actions constitute aggression, exposing contempt for international law and shamelessness by the Thai royal establishment and military in the eyes of the world.
The enemy may inflict pain on Cambodia temporarily, but it cannot erase Khmer national identity. World history clearly demonstrates that since World War II, no country has been erased from the world map through aggression—small nations such as Kuwait, Georgia, and Ukraine have all retained their statehood. Thailand lacks the legal or international political capacity to deceive the world into “erasing” Cambodia or Khmer national identity.
What every Cambodian who loves the nation must remember is this:
- Cambodia will not be lost if the nation stands united.
- Cambodia’s identity will not dissolve if law, morality, and unity are preserved.
- Cambodia will grow stronger and be restored if the nation remains united and decisively rejects all acts of subversion that seek to fracture the national spirit.
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Cambodia will not die—because the Cambodian people have not abandoned themselves to subversion.
Cambodia will not disappear—because national unity remains the strongest foundation of Khmer identity.
