Intervention by H.E. Pen Bona, Royal Government Spokesperson:

On this occasion, as the Royal Government Spokesperson, I’d like to once again express my heartfelt gratitude to all compatriots, both at home and abroad, who have united in support of peace and of our soldiers and armed forces and have raised their voices to call on the Thai side to release our 18 soldiers and facilitate their return to the country.

The voice of the Cambodian people, now resonating across the world, sends a clear message to the international community: Cambodia and its people seek to live in peace, free from all forms of aggression and violation. As a peace-loving nation, Cambodia does not invade or provoke any other country. What Cambodia firmly upholds is its sovereign right to defend its territorial integrity and to protect its honor and dignity against any form of invasion or disrespect.

As all Cambodian people deeply understand in their hearts, peace is the identity of Cambodia under the leadership of the Techo-Thipadei era. Our leaders regard the peace achieved through Samdech Techo Hun Sen’s Win-Win Policy as more precious than anything else, a rare and invaluable achievement for Cambodia in the past 500 years.

In this regard, I’d like to once again emphasize to all compatriots that the ceasefire, which officially took effect at midnight on 28 July 2025, is the result of our leadership’s sincere commitment to peace—strongly supported by leaders of major peace-loving nations who share our values. This ceasefire agreement has been warmly welcomed by numerous world leaders and is currently being implemented under the close and careful monitoring of the international community.