Cambodia protests Thai government’s legal complaint against Hun Sen

Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry has submitted a protest note to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, after the Thai prime minister’s political affairs office filed a police complaint against Cambodia’s Senate President, Hun Sen.

The ministry invited Ek-On Kanacharoen, chargé d’affaires at the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, to receive the note yesterday.

The note was issued in response to Somkid Chueakong, a prime minister’s office secretary general, asking Thailand’s cybercrime police to launch an investigation into Hun Sen for allegedly threatening national security and causing division in Thailand.

In the note, issued on Sunday, Cambodia stated that it wishes “to register a strong protest against the action taken by Somkid, as reported in the Thai media, in filing a complaint against Hun Sen in connection with the recording of a phone conversation between Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.”

Defending Hun Sen’s recording of the conversation, which was later leaked to the public, the ministry emphasised that it is a standard and internationally recognised practice for states to document discussions between national leaders, especially when such exchanges concern matters of diplomacy, national security or bilateral cooperation.

“The purpose of such recordings is to ensure the accuracy and integrity of communications, transparency and support for the institutional responsibilities of public offices,” the note read.

Cambodia views Somkid’s complaint as politically motivated and likely to cause further unwarranted misunderstanding between Cambodia and Thailand.

The note continued with, “The attempt to initiate domestic legal proceedings against a high-ranking official of a sovereign state, in connection with an act conducted in the performance of public duties, undermines the principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”

Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry urged the Thai government to take appropriate measures to address “this regrettable development” and to prevent any further actions that may adversely affect the long-standing and friendly relations between the two nations.