Hun Sen: Thais can still fly home, ‘no fighting at airports’
[Hun Sen, president of the Senate, in his office. SHS]
-National-
Senate president Hun Sen has clarified that Cambodia is not restricting Thai citizens from returning to their homeland, as they can travel by plane. Cambodia has closed land borders due to Thai attacks.
A statement he posted this evening, December 14, was widely seen as a response to Thai accusations that Cambodia is using its citizens as human shields or hostages.
“Yesterday, I posted a message advising the Royal Government that the movement of Cambodian and Thai people across land borders should be suspended to ensure the safety of both Cambodian and Thai citizens. There may have been a misunderstanding or an intention to provoke from the other side, thinking that we are not allowing Thai people to return to their country,” he said.
“I want to clarify that the suspension of travel only applied to land routes because fighting and aggression are occurring across the entire land border, and additionally, at sea. Air travel is still proceeding normally because there is no fighting at the airports,” he added.
He informed Thai citizens that they can depart Cambodia by air from Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Thai citizens working near the Vietnamese border can exit through Vietnam and find a way to travel back to Thailand.
For Cambodian citizens in Thailand, if they wish to return to Cambodia, they must also travel back by air.
“I want to reaffirm that we have not prohibited the travel of Cambodian or Thai people. What we have suspended is land travel, which is dangerous. Please review my message from yesterday, and please do not misuse my intention to protect the lives of Khmer and Thai people to attack me in this manner,” he added.
The Thai military launched attacks on Cambodia in the afternoon of December 7, and as of now, they have expanded the scope of their attacks along the border, including at the maritime border, conducting air strikes.
On December 13, Hun Sen advised the government to close all land border crossings to avert danger. It has been reported that many Thai citizens are staying in Poipet and other places which are at risk of attack.
-The Phnom Penh Post-
