PHNOM PENH: Senate President Hun Sen has clarified that the arrival of the first batch of a shipment of new main battle tanks has nothing to do with the recent border clash with Thailand. The Post understands that the order, which will eventually total more than 100 Chinese Type-59D tanks, was placed before the recent conflict.
The acting head of state explained that the armoured vehicles are entirely for self-defence, which is the right of all sovereign nations.
During a meeting with local residents in Battambang on Thursday (June 11), Hun Sen dismissed fear mongering reports which had appeared in some Thai media outlets.
He pointed that the order is a small one, and no different to the purchases that any other nation might make, while noting that Cambodia did not criticise them as it understands that all countries have their own sovereign rights.
According to Thai media, a Chinese military attaché confirmed the delivery was part of a long-standing, planned military assistance programme, rather than an immediate escalation.
“Building military capacity in this manner is not a threat to anyone; it is part of self-defence… We already have hundreds of tanks. The 30-plus units that arrived, with about 90 on the way, are not a large amount for the Cambodian military, especially when we already have hundreds,” said Hun Sen.
“Cambodia wishes to clarify that we do not invade anyone. Cambodia does not threaten anyone, whether that country is strong or weak. Cambodia does not have the habit of invading anyone,” he added.
He highlighted that the only time Cambodia dispatched troops beyond its own borders was to take part in UN peacekeeping operations. Under French colonial rule, he acknowledged, some Cambodians did fight in places like Algeria and Morocco, but they went only as part of the French military, not in the name of the Cambodian state.
“Let me clarify; there is no threat. Our peaceful stance means we do not attack others — that is the end of the matter,” he said.
Hun Sen noted the new vehicles have not yet been tested, and some have not even been removed from their containers. He categorically denied reports that any of the new tanks had been deployed at the border. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
