Hun Manet: 'They Shot Us First' — Cambodia Did Not Start Border Fighting

PHNOM PENH — Oct. 7, 2026: Prime Minister Hun Manet has firmly rejected suggestions that Cambodia provoked the border conflict, saying Thai forces opened fire first on Cambodian soldiers inside Cambodian territory.

Speaking at the University of Health Sciences' 80th anniversary in Phnom Penh, PM Hun Manet said Cambodia did nothing to trigger the fighting. "While we were at peace, they came and shot our soldiers on our own land," he said, adding that the public demanded a response after Thailand disparaged Cambodia.

He traced the escalation to May 28, when Thai forces began pushing Cambodian soldiers out of Ta Moan temple, and rejected claims that tensions stemmed from a May 25 statement. He also dismissed criticism from Cambodians abroad that the government had been indecisive.


"We are not the ones who started this," PM Hun Manet said. "They shot us first. Cambodia does not want war — we want to protect our sovereignty."

The Prime Minister said the fighting displaced around 700,000 people before a ceasefire was negotiated on Dec. 12, 2025, with conditions set on Dec. 27: a halt to fighting, both sides holding their positions, and talks on border demarcation. He stressed that the demarcation point remains unfinished by both countries, and that the 2000 MOU and Joint Boundary Commission mechanism remain in place.

Reported by The Khmer Daily Network