In response to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s provocative remarks on the evening of the 24th—openly declaring, "Give me a little time and let the Thai military properly teach Hun Sen a lesson"—former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a stern reply that night. He fiercely criticized Thaksin for inciting war, sacrificing the lives of soldiers and civilians, and attempting to use war to achieve personal goals.
According to the Khmer-China Times, Hun Sen, currently serving as chairman of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, stated that Thaksin was inciting conflict under the pretense of "retaliating against Hun Sen.", while his true intention was to provoke war, and ultimately it would be innocent people who suffer.
Hun Sen pointed out that such provocation not only exposed Thaksin’s warlike mentality but also clearly revealed the aggressive intentions of the Thai military towards Cambodia.
Hun Sen admitted that he was not surprised by Thaksin’s attitude.
“Someone who even dares to betray the Thai King, how could he possibly be loyal to his own party and country?” he said. More seriously, Hun Sen added, Thaksin created a massacre in southern Thailand in 2004 which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Muslim citizens, a history that fully demonstrates his cruel nature.
According to Thai media reports, on the evening of the 24th, Thaksin posted on social media platform X: "Many countries are paying attention to the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia and have voluntarily offered to mediate. I thank everyone for that, but ask for a little more time. Because we need to let the Thai military properly teach the cunning Hun Sen a lesson first."