PHNOM PENH: Senate president Hun Sen (pic) has responded to accusations from the Thai military and media that Russian mercenaries may have been hired to serve on the battlefield at the border. He stated that there have been no foreign troops on Cambodian soil since 1993.
His response came after the Thai 2nd Army Region reported suspicions that Cambodia had hired English-speaking foreigners to operate drones. This suspicion was widely published by Thai media, with many speculating that the foreigners were likely Russian mercenaries.
“In order to maintain the dignity of Cambodia, as well as that of Russia and other foreign nations that have been accused, I would like to clarify that Cambodia has no Russian nationals or other foreigners participating in combat on the battlefield or serving as military advisors for the Cambodian army,” Hun Sen said, via a social media post on Tuesday (Dec 16).
“We have not had foreign military on Cambodian territory since Untac withdrew from Cambodia in 1993,” he said, referring to the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia.
“We acknowledge that we have had foreign military enter to conduct multinational or bilateral exercises on Cambodian soil, notably foreign navies arriving via the Sihanoukville port. This is a normal custom that other countries also practice within the framework of defense cooperation,” he added.
He clarified that there are foreigners of many nationalities currently residing in Cambodia as tourists, investors, technicians and workers for both foreign and local companies, but none of them are involved with the military sector or combat.
On Dec 15, the Russian embassy in Bangkok also issued a statement denying Thai media reports that claimed Russian mercenaries were hired by Cambodia for the battlefield.
The embassy stated that these accusations endanger the safety of Russian nationals who are visiting or living in Thailand. It further asserted that Russia is not involved in the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
