Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said Cambodia does not need to play the role of a victim because it has already been victimised.

In an interview with National Television of Cambodia (TVK) about the outcomes of the second meeting of the Conciliation Commission under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) between Cambodia and Thailand, broadcast on October 20, Sokhonn said Cambodia continues to reveal the truth to the international community.

He added that Cambodia must firmly defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and reject the Thai military’s occupation of Cambodian territory, particularly villages belonging to the Cambodian people.



He said:
“We demand that our more than 20,000 people be granted the right to return to their homes and lands without any hindrance. This is stipulated in previous agreements, specifically the Joint Declaration of December 27, 2025. The Commission has also acknowledged that these agreements have not yet been fully implemented.

Having considered the full scope of these issues, the Commission has affirmed our right to continue telling the truth to the world—a right that the opposing side has consistently sought to obstruct, including by attempting to prevent us from presenting the truth before international tribunals.

Furthermore, regarding the Thai side’s opening statement, in which it accused Cambodia of ‘playing the victim’, I would like to take this opportunity to respond quite simply: Cambodia does not need to ‘play’ the victim because we are already victims. I wish to place this point firmly on the record.”