The investigation comes amid escalating border tensions between the two countries, with dozens of people stranded at the main border gate.
Mr. Saroj Phuengrampan, General Secretary of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), said the Commission had received an official complaint about the recording between Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Mr. Hun Sen. The leaked content of the conversation caused a stir in public opinion, especially when Ms. Paetongtarn mentioned the commander of Thai Military Region 2 with degradative words and showed a yielding attitude towards the Cambodian leader.
According to Mr. Saroj, the investigation process is only in the preliminary screening stage to determine the authority to handle. During this period, NACC is analyzing the content of the recording with a multilingual element, requiring careful translation and copy. If necessary, language experts or people fluent in related languages will be invited for support.
Regarding the 10-day deadline mentioned by the media, Mr. Saroj affirmed that this is only the time for preliminary verification and translation, not the deadline for handling the entire incident. There is no pressure for us to speed up the investigation beyond the normal process, he stressed.
Responding to the possibility of summoning Prime Minister Paetongtarn, Mr. Saroj said that if the current evidence was enough, there was no need to ask her to listen. He also denied any speculation that the incident was ruled by political motives.
Regarding the escalating border controversy, dozens of tourists and workers, including children, are stranded at Ban Khlong Luek border gate (Sa Kaeo), the busiest road connecting Thailand and Cambodia.
The Thai government has unilaterally closed all border gates in the seven border provinces, only allowing students and people in need of treatment to cross.
At Khlong Luek Board, about 50 Cambodian workers, mostly Thai traders, have been unable to return home. I wanted to go home last night but had to sleep at the stall because the police did not allow me to pass, said Malin Po (38 years old), a clothing seller.
While roads are tightened, flights between Cambodia and Thailand are still operating normally. Mr. Sinn Chanserey Vutha, Secretary of State for defence and spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Secretariat of Cambodia (SSCA), confirmed: "As of June 25, no flights have been delayed or canceled."
SSCA data shows that there are currently 78 flights per week between Phnom Penh and Bangkok operated by 9 airlines, including 3 Cambodian and 6 foreign airlines. The number of passengers has even increased compared to last week, Vutha said.
