“As a leader, I believe that none of Cambodia’s 17 million people would kneel and cede land to anyone,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on the morning of May 15, 2026, at the celebration of the 19th Cambodia Veterans and Retirees Day. He said his aim was to defend Cambodia’s territory lawfully through a bloodless approach that could bring lasting peace.
Hun Manet stressed: “We must defend our territory, but we must also protect our people. Cambodia is not afraid of war, but if there is a way to defend ourselves other than fighting, we will immediately choose negotiations through legal means to progressively regain our lawful rights and sovereign territory.” He said Cambodia would make full use of this mechanism even if only a 1 percent opening remained for peaceful negotiations.
By: ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត
Speech image accompanying the original report.
