Today, I thank grand uncles, uncles, grand aunts and aunts, and the families of the 18 soldiers detained by the Thai army, for coming from six distant provinces. I am very grateful to grand uncles, uncles, grand aunts and aunts, and though you I thank the 18 heroes of our army who bravely performed their duties in defending our land during the battles.
Today is the 12th day of the Buddhist Lent (or the Cambodian Buddhist tradition of Pjum Ben). In fact, the Buddhist Lent is a day for family reunions. In the past, our military representatives, who met with the Thai side, had tried to request the release of the 18 (Cambodian) soldiers on humanitarian grounds so that they could be reunited with their families. There has been no positive response so far. However, we continue to work hard to find ways to get them released as soon as possible.
I understand the feelings and the concerns for the husband, for the children, for the fiancée, and according to the information (among them), there is someone, from Stung Treng, who is the fiancée (to one of the captured soldiers). When will the wedding take place? (Samdech Thipadei asked). The wedding will take place in January or February (2026). We hope that (our soldiers) will be (released) soon and we hope, if possible, to get them return (and reunite) with their families and fiancées, without further delay.
Let me give you a brief background regarding the incident on 29 (July, when the arrests took place). As I recall, on July 28, we went to Malaysia to negotiate a ceasefire, with the aim of stopping the deaths and injuries, as well as the suffering of the people affected by the war. On July 28, at midnight, the ceasefire came into force. I remember getting off the plane at around 7 or 8 pm. That night, I met with His Excellency the President of the United States, Donald Trump. He congratulated us on the phone about the ceasefire.
After that, like our citizens and the lady whose fiancé was on the front lines, and we have waited to see if the ceasefire (would be implemented) at 12:00 PM? At 12:00 PM, I monitored the front line. I saw calm. That night, I couldn’t sleep because the fighting had been going on for five days and nights, and I didn’t know when it would stop. After getting some sleep, I woke up and checked my phone. It was calm until the morning, We thought (the ceasefire) held, though the situation was still fragile.
It was quiet until about 10 (am) when there was a report that there was an incident where some of our soldiers, the exact number was not yet known as it was an immediate information, who were stationed in Chuam Tae were captured by Thai soldiers. At that time, my concept and feeling were that the first priority must be to ensure, first, their lives, second, their safety, and third, how to get them back quickly. Our troops contacted the Thai troops at the border and demanded their immediate release.
The commander of the Military Region 4, His Excellency Pov Heng, contacted the Thai regional commander to demand their release. At that time, we foresaw that the situation was fragile. (After the) five days and nights of fighting, what would happen to or even the safety of our brothers and sisters were our main concern. Immediately, I called His Excellency Anwar Ibrahim, (the Prime Minister of Malaysia and rotating chair of ASEAN) who was on his visit in Indonesia. He answered the phone immediately.
I asked him (HE Anwar Ibrahim) to intervene with His Excellency Phumthan Wechayachai, the acting Prime Minister of Thailand, to help look after our troops who were captured, to ensure that they are alive, and to send them back to us immediately. (The situation on) July 29, when they were arrested, was not like the situation now. At that time, it was unclear. (We) didn’t know exactly how many (of our troops were captured). At one time, it was more than 20, and finally, we found out that it was 20, and now there are 18 left.
At this time, our people can understand what has been happening as there have been pictures in the news. Some (of the families) have even received letters from them(the captured soldiers). As the leader, I had to take responsibility for – firstly, their lives, to protect them, secondly, their well-being, and thirdly, to ensure their speedy release and return to the nation. When it happened, we did not know where they were being taken to? And there was the worst-case scenario of them disappearing forever because the fight had just ended.
So, the way to proceed at that time was difficult. However, the Royal Government, especially I personally, could not remain idle. We instructed our army representatives to immediately contact the Thai army, and I contacted foreign leaders to be witnesses, to let them know the story and to help (as much as possible) so that (the captured soldiers) would not have any problems. We will continue to solve this problem until there is confirmation from the Thai side that […] they will be handed over. However, we will continue (to work for their release).
In the process, things went quietly. Our way of working was not to advertise on any social media because we had to work urgently with important figures, both international and Thai, to ensure (a settlement). Later, information also appeared on Facebook, whereas some people accused and cursed the government for hiding information and not disseminating it to the people. (They even accused the government of) using these 18 people in exchange for a ceasefire. Some said, by hiding the information, would the government not be afraid that our soldiers could be killed? Some even went so far as to say, why don’t we go together to fight and liberate them. Why don’t we capture Thai soldiers and exchange them? There were such comments.
Then (1) our decision must be balanced. I understand the feelings of our brothers and sisters, especially the families, who are very worried. The leaders are also worried and (had to take appropriate measures so as) to prevent bad things from happening to them. What measures were to take. Were we resort to strong measures by sending troops to fight, where would we send them to? We didn’t know where they were taken. Secondly, should we post on Facebook (what we would do)? That could have created confusion, insults and distress on social media. (If we were to do this), how could we have detente and resolve the situation?
Certain things cannot be explained publicly and more so as they happened so suddenly. On July 29 and 30, the situation kept changing. We did not remain idle, though. They say that the Royal Government was idle. We might be silent, but we have not been idle. We have been acting since the moment they were arrested. The government and the military have contacted the other side demanding and protesting because our goal is the safety of our soldiers and (members of) your families. These are information regarding of what has happened and I would like to share with you. I never told anyone about it. Only 2 or 3 people close to me knew about the telephone conversation between me and His Excellency Anwar Ibrahim and the situation of the frontline military commanders, whom I urged to contacts (the Thai side).
For the person who is responsible, it is necessary to (have such a ponderation) because if actions were taken in response to feelings of resentment and anger, it would be (unable to resolve the situation). Actually, listening to what people said or opinion expressed on Facebook is not wrong […] but we cannot just act according to what is expressed (with resentment and anger). We must weigh (it out and ponder what method) would give the best result in protecting the lives of 18 soldiers. When news of their captivity came, there were 20. Now (there are) 18 left. (We must weigh) what method will protect their well-being and help them return quickly.
Sometimes (in a situation that is) tense, (if we push it), the situation will become more tense and it will be difficult for us to resolve. So, the solution is we control the information and let the Ministry of National Defense provide (information to the public). Firstly, we ensure a calm environment to resolve the problem. The situation was like that. I am telling you the truth. In this situation, for many it is emotional, but for the family of 18, whether cold and hot, I don’t know, but (we must make sure that) we create conditions for their early release and for them to be safe.
Even though they haven’t been released so far, the government hasn’t abandoned them. Some people say the government has forgotten all 18 of them. That’s not true. The Ministry of National Defense page (always) lists (the demand for their release) on a daily basis. Today, it’s been 52 days since they were arrested. Some people say why do we keep counting days (that they have been detained), it is useless. Counting days that they are still in captivity is to show that we are constantly paying attention, not forgetting, so that everyone can see that we still have 18 (combatants) who are in custody, and the government needs to look at it, and the Ministry of National Defense needs to think about it. We haven’t forgotten.
Every meeting I had with (foreign and international) leaders, such as President Xi Jinping (of China), the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week, and in my letters to the US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other forums, there is always demand for the immediate release of our 18 soldiers as a humanitarian matter.
In bilateral meetings with Thailand, both JBC and GBC, we always raise the issue of their release. In addition, we contact many international organizations, including the International Red Cross and the UN Human Rights Organization, to help coordinate (and provide information about) – firstly, the well-being of our soldiers in captivity, and secondly, their speedy return. Some say that there does seem to bear any fruits in seeking help internationally. You may understand, and I can see, that the results we want are sometimes not as fast as we would like […]./.