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Cambodia in the Face of Thai Aggression

1.I say to the world…
I say to the world that Cambodia is not at war by choice.
What is unfolding along our borders today is neither an accident nor an uncontrolled escalation of tensions. It is repeated aggression, carefully staged and executed.
Twice in recent months, our country has been attacked. Not through isolated incidents, but through calculated uses of brute force. Behind the language of “national security,” heavy offensives have been launched, striking not only military positions but also civilians, temples, and vital infrastructure. When ground advances fail, air strikes follow, reaching as far as ninety kilometers deep inside Cambodian territory.
I say to the world that this war is profoundly asymmetric.
Against F-16 and Gripen fighter jets, Cambodia stands with resilience and the rule of law. Against demonstrations of brute power, it invokes history, international treaties, and ceasefire agreements. And yet, despite this imbalance, the aggressor has achieved no lasting territorial gains. This alone reveals the true nature of these attacks: they are no longer about conquest, but about intimidation, masking failure and manufacturing a narrative.
I say to the world that what is happening here goes far beyond Cambodia.
An aggression tolerated becomes a precedent. To yield here is to invite future violations elsewhere, whenever the rule of law proves inconvenient to force.

2.I accuse Thailand…
I accuse Thailand of waging war without declaration, but with full intent.
I accuse Thailand of turning offense into defense, provocation into pretext, and falsehood into doctrine.
I accuse Thailand of conducting a war of narratives, seeking to rewrite history, erase geography, and replace international law with the law of the strongest. Under the guise of patriotism, Thailand distorts facts, instrumentalizes incidents, and stages its own victimhood.
I further accuse a power that, when its internal cohesion falters, seeks an external enemy. This conflict is not merely territorial. It is political, symbolic, and deeply cynical. It serves to divert public attention, preserve contested authority, and impose silence through the fear of an imagined foreign threat.

3.I say to Cambodia…
I say to Cambodia: stand firm, because we know what it means to survive.
Between 1970 and 1998, our people endured two wars and a genocide. We know the cost of blood. We also know the value of solidarity.
Today, our soldiers hold their positions, fully aware that behind them lies not just a frontline, but an entire nation. In cities and villages alike, scarcity has given rise to mutual aid. Unity has not been proclaimed. It is lived. It is real, present, and alive.
To stand firm is not to call for hatred.
It is to refuse erasure.
To stand firm is to believe that the law, even when trampled, always rises again.
To stand firm is to know that lies never endure.
The aggressor will fall, because it advances on the fragile crutch of falsehood. And when it falls, truth will splash across its face.
Cambodia extends its hand to all who still believe in justice, peace, and the rule of law. It calls on nations not to look away. To ignore today is to legitimize tomorrow.

To those who attack us, we respond clearly: We will abandon neither our land, nor our rights, nor our memory, nor our dignity.
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Le Cambodge face à l’agression de la Thaïlande

1. Je dis au monde…
Je dis au monde que le Cambodge n’est pas en guerre par choix. Je dis au monde que ce qui se déroule aujourd’hui à nos frontières n’est ni un accident ni une montée de tensions incontrôlée, mais une agression préméditée, répétée, méthodiquement mise en scène.
À deux reprises en quelques mois, notre pays a été attaqué. Non par des incidents fortuits, mais selon une logique de force assumée. Derrière un discours de « sécurité nationale », des offensives lourdes ont été lancées, frappant non seulement des positions militaires, mais aussi des civils, des temples et des infrastructures essentielles. Lorsque l’avancée terrestre échoue, les frappes aériennes prennent le relais, atteignant jusqu’à 90 km à l’intérieur du territoire cambodgien.
Je dis au monde que cette guerre est profondément asymétrique. Face aux F-16, le Cambodge oppose la résistance et le droit. Face à la démonstration de puissance, il oppose la légitimité de l’Histoire, des traités internationaux, et des accords de cessez-le-feu. Et pourtant, malgré cette asymétrie, aucun gain territorial durable n’a été obtenu par l’agresseur. Cela en dit long sur la nature réelle de ces attaques : il ne s’agit plus de conquérir, mais d’intimider, de masquer un échec, de fabriquer un récit.
Je dis au monde que ce qui se joue ici dépasse le Cambodge. Une agression tolérée devient un précédent. Céder ici, c’est ouvrir la voie à d’autres violations ailleurs, chaque fois que le droit dérange la force.