Cambodian Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen asked Thai leaders to order their troops to stop firing slingshots at Cambodian forces. He said, “At first glance, this may seem like a joke, but if we don’t stop it, it will undermine the ceasefire agreement.”
Speaking on Telegram on the evening of August 8, Hun Sen said, “I didn’t really want to speak about this, but if I say nothing, I’m afraid Thai leaders may not know about it and the international community may not understand it. The Cambodia–Thailand border conflict has shifted from fighting with weapons to firing marbles and small metal pellets with slingshots.”
The Senate president stressed that the matter might seem like a joke or a minor issue at first glance, but a closer look shows how serious it could become if left unchecked.
Hun Sen said the situation could escalate from the use of slingshots to the use of all kinds of weapons, undermining the ceasefire agreement that Cambodian and Thai leaders had worked hard to secure with active assistance from Malaysia’s prime minister and participation from China and the United States.
Hun Sen added that if Cambodian forces were using slingshots, he urged the Royal Government to order them to stop immediately. He also asked Thai leaders to order their troops to stop using slingshots.
By: ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត
