Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday via Telegram that he will work with the elected Thai leader regardless of their party, after he initially said on Thursday that the leader of the Move Forward party was working for Cambodian opposition “extremist” groups.
“I respect the decision of the Thai people and I do not interfere in [the] internal affairs of Thailand,” he said. “I am ready to work with [the] Thai leader regardless of who or which party.”
Despite winning the popular vote, leader of Thailand’s progressive Move Forward party, Pita Limjaroenrat, was blocked from becoming prime minister on Thursday by a parliamentary vote which included senators put in power by the Thai military.
Afterwards, Hun Sen on Thursday stated this was “a major failure of the brute opposition in Cambodia.”
“These traitors always expected that when Pita becomes the prime minister of Thailand, they would use Thai territory to do campaign against the Royal Government of Cambodia,” he said. “Now the expectations of the brute opposition group have vanished like a salt in water.”
Hun Sen later deleted the Twitter post.
Hun Sen’s long-time political rival, exiled opposition figure Sam Rainsy, has stated that he would attempt to travel to Cambodia through Thailand if a pro-democracy government were formed in Thailand, RFA reported.
On Friday, Hun Sen said via Twitter that he had faced significant blowback from Thai people commenting on his post and said he was “not against Pita.” But he warned that the Move Forward party leader “does not know he is being used, to oppose Cambodia.”
Hun Sen repeated his warning that “Khmer extremist groups who use Thai territory for activities against Cambodia, including using Pita’s name for their political gains, should stop using the name of Pita…”
The parties outside the Move Forward-led coalition and the majority of military-appointed senators have opposed Limjaroenrat’s campaign promise to amend the lese majeste law, which punishes anyone who is perceived to defame or insult the monarchy.
