During this past week, I was occupied with official visits to three Central Asian countries, including the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Türkiye, and the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as attending the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
Also during this week, Mr. Um Sam An released a series of messages broadcast via his personal social media channels and through interviews with several media outlets aligned with his group, such as Radio Free Asia, etc., regarding the discussion and verification of the Cambodia-Thailand border between border markers No. 52 and 59. Overall, although he spoke at length, his message remained repetitive, demonstrating that:
- He is too afraid to return to Cambodia despite explicit security guarantees—claiming he fears being arrested, shot, or having his head smashed, etc. (I was quite surprised, as I used to see him declare on Facebook that he was willing to fight Thailand to the death for our territory. Yet when I offered him the opportunity to demonstrate his capability regarding territorial matters without requiring armed combat and with guaranteed personal safety, he was afraid, citing various fears as excuses. How could he possibly venture onto a battlefield under live fire as he once claimed, where no safety guarantees exist?)
- He lacks a solid evidentiary basis or clear border documentation—stating (or hinting) that his evidence comes from hearsay, news outlets like Radio Free Asia, and ultimately admitting he has nothing clear unless France provides it (which raises the question: on what basis did he accuse the Royal Government of ceding land to Thailand?); and
- He attempts to evade the issue by creating various conditions to divert attention from having to present evidence supporting his accusations against the Royal Government regarding border markers 52–59, demanding instead that he be granted a pardon.
In short, his fear is understandable to a degree, but the real issue is that he invents conditions as excuses to slip away while continuing his taunts.
Nevertheless, the door remains open.
In order to facilitate an opportunity for Mr. Um Sam An’s team to engage in discussions and verification with the Royal Government’s border team, and to present any documents and evidence regarding border markers No. 52–59 that he possesses—especially to dispel public doubt, given that Mr. Um Sam An has repeatedly accused the government and border officials of losing territory in that area—I would like to offer an additional option in the event he is afraid to come in person:
- Mr. Um Sam An may appoint a representative or a delegation, who may come from abroad without fear of entering to discuss and verify upon my invitation (I provide the same safety guarantee to them as previously stated), or who may already reside within Cambodia.
- Should Mr. Um Sam An agree to designate a representative or delegation to attend, he must abide by the following conditions:
- He must grant full authority to them as representatives of himself and his group to discuss and verify with the Royal Government’s border team;
- He must hand over all documents, evidence, and witnesses that he and his group possess regarding the Cambodia-Thailand border between markers 52 and 59 to the representative team, ensuring a sufficient basis to hold clear discussions and verifications;
- He must accept all content and points raised during the discussions and verifications by his representative or delegation; and
- He must accept the outcomes of the discussions and verifications attended by his representative or delegation.
I welcome whichever option he chooses—whether he leads the visit himself (without the conditions he raised to evade the issue, as I have already guaranteed safety for him and his team) or designates a representative or delegation to come. I wish to emphasize that my guarantee of safety for Mr. Um Sam An and his team (should he overcome his fear) or for his designated representatives (should he not dare to come in person) remains unchanged.
I hope Mr. Um Sam An has the courage to choose one of these options and provide a direct answer promptly, helping to put an end to the public’s doubts regarding the border between markers 52 and 59. I also hope he does not conjure further reasons or excuses to avoid participating as he has done previously.
I am giving him until the end of October to make his decision and assemble a team or designate representatives and prepare documents, to hold discussions and verifications together in early November as he requested. Having provided this additional opportunity, if Mr. Um Sam An still lacks the courage, then…
The Royal Government has many other duties to perform for the nation and its people, including border work with Thailand. I consistently appeal to Cambodian citizens of all political affiliations to give the Royal Government the opportunity to resolve these issues with the Thai side responsibly—especially during this phase where border issues remain complex and unresolved—rather than engaging in back-and-forth exchanges among fellow Cambodians, as in this case where I was compelled to respond because the accusation that the Royal Government ceded land to Thailand between border markers 52 and 59 is simply too grave to leave unaddressed.
