Thailand’s House Speaker, Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, has strongly condemned the speaker of the Cambodian parliament for accusing Thailand of encroaching on Cambodian soil and using chemical weapons.
Wan Muhamad said he is disappointed and deeply regrets that Thailand was groundlessly accused by Khuon Sudary, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Cambodia, during the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in Geneva.
Wan Muhamad, who serves as president of the Thai National Group at the IPU, did not attend the meeting.
“The Thai National Assembly totally rejects and strongly condemns the misleading and baseless allegations, which are entirely untrue and contradict the facts officially stated by the Thai Foreign Ministry and the Thai government,” he said in a statement.
“The Thai National Assembly urges Cambodia to refrain from disseminating false or misleading information that distorts the actual situation, creates misunderstanding and escalates tensions for its own, unilateral benefit,” the statement added.
In her speech, during the high-level meeting in Geneva, Khuon Sudary alleged that Thailand had violated the UN Charter and international law by invading her country and using chemical weapons.
She also claimed that fighter jets and heavy weapons were used to kill innocent people, with women and children being the most affected.
As she spoke on this point, her voice choked and she appeared to weep, although her tone quickly returned to normal.
“Clearly, this is a war crime and a crime against humanity,” she claimed.
Wan Muhamad said, during a press briefing, that Thailand remains firmly committed to the UN Charter, upholds universal humanitarian principles, protects civilian lives and strictly adheres to the ceasefire.
Referring to the unconditional ceasefire agreement, reached in Malaysia on July 28, Wan Muhamad stated that Thailand has fully complied with the terms of the truce, while Cambodia is yet to cease its attacks.
“Thailand therefore urges Cambodia to comply fully with the ceasefire in the same strict manner,” he said.
He also proposed that the ASEAN Chair establish an international fact-finding mission, to determine the truth and jointly to explore ways to ensure the effectiveness of the ceasefire.
He added that the statement will be distributed to all IPU member states, to foster an accurate and truthful understanding of the situation.
