Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, on the morning of October 19, 2026, responded to Um Sam An, saying: “In the past week, I have been busy with official visits to three Central Asian countries, namely the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Turkiye, and the Republic of Kazakhstan, and took part in the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
During that same week, Um Sam An issued a series of messages, posted on his personal social media accounts and through interviews with some of the media outlets close to him, such as Radio Free Asia (RFA) and others, regarding discussions and cross-checks on the Cambodia–Thailand border between boundary pillars No. 52 and 59. Overall, even though he has spoken a great deal, his message remains the same, as he indicates that:
1. He is afraid and does not dare to come to Cambodia, even though there is a clear safety guarantee — he says he is afraid of being detained, afraid of being shot at, or afraid of having his head smashed, etc.;
2. He has no firm evidentiary basis or border documents — he says (or hints) that his evidence came from hearsay, from hearing the news such as RFA reports, and finally that he has nothing solid, unless the French had something (it is also a wonder: when he accuses the Royal Government of ceding land to Thailand, what is his basis for that claim?); and
3. He is trying to evade the issue by creating various conditions to shift from the matter of him having to come and present the evidence with which he accuses the Royal Government of having ceded land to Thailand between boundary pillars No. 52–59 to a demand that he be pardoned.
In short, his fear is one thing; the real issue is that he is setting conditions as an excuse to avoid taking part, and is even being provocative.
Nevertheless, the door has not yet closed.
With the aim of enabling Um Sam An's working group to have the opportunity to hold discussions and cross-check with the Royal Government's border working group, and to present any documents and evidence related to boundary pillars No. 52–59 that he has — especially so that the public will no longer be left in doubt — because Um Sam An has repeatedly accused the government and government border officials of having caused the loss of land in that area, I am pleased to offer one further option in the event that he is afraid and does not dare to come in person:
• Um Sam An may appoint a representative or a group of representatives, who could be persons from abroad who are not afraid to come and engage in discussions and cross-checks at my invitation (I extend to them the same guarantee I have already stated) or could also be persons already in Cambodia.
• In the event that Um Sam An agrees to appoint a representative or group of representatives to take part, he must comply with certain conditions:
1• He must grant full authority to his representative(s) and his group to engage in discussions and cross-checks with the border working group of the Royal Government;
2• He must hand over all documents, evidence and witnesses that he and his group have regarding the Cambodia–Thailand border between boundary pillars No. 52–59 to the group of representatives, so that there is a sufficient basis for the discussions and cross-checks to be carried out clearly;
3• He must accept all the content raised by the representative(s) or group of representatives in the discussions and cross-checks; and
4• He must accept the outcome of the discussions and cross-checks in which his representative(s) or group of representatives took part.
As for the Royal Government, any option is welcome — he may come in person (without the conditions he has raised in order to wriggle out, because I have already guaranteed his safety and that of his group), or he may appoint a representative or group of representatives on his behalf. I wish to reiterate that my safety guarantee for Um Sam An and his working group (if he overcomes his fear) or for his representative(s) or group of representatives (in the event he does not dare to come in person) remains unchanged.
I hope that Um Sam An will dare to choose one of the options and provide a direct answer soon, so as to help put an end to the doubts of the people regarding the border between boundary pillars No. 52–59. I also hope that Um Sam An will not create reasons or find other excuses to avoid participating, as he has done before.
The Royal Government still has much to do for the nation and the people, including the border work with Thailand, and I have always called on Cambodian people of all political tendencies to give the Royal Government the opportunity to resolve issues with the Thai side responsibly — especially at a stage when the border issues remain complex and have not yet been resolved — rather than engaging in back-and-forth among Cambodians themselves, as in this case, where I have had to respond. The accusation against the Royal Government that it has ceded land to Thailand between boundary pillars No. 52–59 is simply too grave to be acceptable.”
