On June 26, during a visit to the Oddar Meanchey province - a region bordered by Thailand that had recently had a clash - Mr. Hun Sen appeared in heavy rain, standing in front of hundreds of soldiers, loudly stating: "We do not want war, but if attacked, Cambodia will attack first, not just defend!".
Although he is no longer Prime Minister, Mr. Hun Sen - currently the President of the Cambodian Senate - still affirms the responsibility of a citizen, a "five-star general", ready to join the army to protect each piece of homeland. He also denied information from the Thai media that he had "imposed himself as Commander-in-Chief of the Cambodian army to prepare for the attack on Thailand", calling it a "crazy fabrication".
Hun Sen threatened to reveal the Thai Prime Minister's family secrets he had. At the same time, it warned that if the situation in Bangkok is unstable, the conflict could last, far surpassing the lenient clashes like in 2011. He advised the army to prepare long-term logistics, people dig defensive mines and be ready to both produce and defend during this year's rainy season.
On the same day, Mr. Hun Sen officially took on the role of Senior Logistics General, responsible for supervising and ensuring logistics for Cambodian forces stationed at the Thai border. He took on the role at the request of the military, providing full support to frontline forces - a unofficial, but influential role.
Some veteran generals of Cambodia assessed that at present, no one is capable of taking on the role of military advisor, logistics organizer and soldier spirit better than Mr. Hun Sen.
At the end of his speech, Mr. Hun Sen affirmed: "I do not borrow anyone's name, I do not replace anyone who orders, but I will be here, with my brothers, to protect this country to the end".
