‘I was betrayed first': Cambodia's Hun Sen exposes rift with former Thai leader Thaksin in livestream
Cambodia's former leader Hun Sen speaks to soldiers during his visits of armed forces stationed along the Cambodia-Thailand border on June 26. PHOTO: AFP
'I was betrayed first': Cambodia's Hun Sen exposes rift with former Thai leader Thaksin in livestream
BANGKOK - Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen went live on Facebook on June 27 , just a day after warning that he would expose former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Speaking in Khmer, Mr Hun Sen delivered a combative message, claiming betrayal and threatening to reveal damaging information about the Shinawatra family.
'The time has come,' Mr Hun Sen said. 'They have betrayed me. Today, I will speak on eight points.'
He added that further details would be shared with diplomats scheduled to meet him later that day.
'If they want it today, I will expose the Thaksin family.'
Recording was no accident
The Cambodian strongman began with the leaked audio clip, saying it was recorded intentionally.
'I recorded that conversation because I have been betrayed before,' he stated, justifying the leak.
Paetongtarn accused of deception
His second point was an accusation against Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, whom he said deceived him.
'Paetongtarn said it was just part of the negotiation tactic. But clearly, you don't know me at all,' Mr Hun Sen said.
He went on to criticise Mr Thaksin for failing to instill values in his children:
'On 14 June, Thaksin attacked me online. Meanwhile, the Thai Prime Minister disrespects her own military and monarchy. I will reveal the truth today.
'You may insult your own army and monarch – but you cannot do the same to me. It won't work.'
Defiant over audio recordings
Mr Hun Sen rejected any suggestion that his recording was illegal:
'There is no law preventing me from recording conversations. Why is the Thai Prime Minister afraid of a leaked audio clip?'
He closed his speech with defiance:
'If you want to take it to the International Court of Justice, go ahead. I'm in Cambodia. File your 5,000 complaints – I don't care.'
Mr Hun Sen continued his tirade against the Thai leadership, accusing Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra of using the call centre crackdown as a pretext for hostile action and border aggression.
'As Thai Prime Minister, you shouldn't behave this way,' Mr Hun Sen said.
'You claimed you went to the border to tackle call centre scams, but you ordered the border closed starting on 7 June and extended the shutdown further.'
Cambodia 'deceived under the guise of cooperation'
'You closed the border under the guise of suppressing scams, when in fact your intention was aggression,' he said.
'I have always said that online fraud is far from over — we need cooperation to address it. So why are you using it to attack Cambodia?'
He asserted that Cambodia had exercised patience for the sake of bilateral ties, while suggesting that Thailand had been the one backing criminal groups operating along its borders with Myanmar and Laos. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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