Cambodian Senate Condemns False Allegations by Thailand’s The Nation Newspaper
Cambodian Senate Condemns False Allegations by Thailand’s The Nation Newspaper
Phnom Penh, October 30, 2025 — The Spokesperson of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia has issued a strong statement expressing profound disappointment over the fabricated and misleading claims published by The Nation newspaper of Thailand regarding Cambodia’s participation in the 151st Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Budapest, Hungary.
The statement came in response to The Nation’s article dated 29 October 2025, entitled “Khuon Sudary outpaces Wan Muhamad Noor Matha in Hungary for peace agreement discussions.” The Senate Spokesperson described the article as distorting facts, misrepresenting official proceedings, and betraying a lack of understanding or deliberate misreporting of IPU documents.
According to the Senate Spokesperson, The Nation wrongly referred to the newly adopted IPU Resolution on Parliamentary Action against Transnational Crimes, Cybercrimes, and Hybrid Threats to Democracy and Human Security as a “Thai resolution.” In reality, the resolution was jointly sponsored by several nations, including Thailand, Argentina, Chile, Poland, and Sweden, with endorsement from two regional groupings, reflecting its global—not bilateral—scope.
The Cambodian Delegation, the statement affirmed, played an active and constructive role in drafting the resolution to ensure it serves the interests of all countries. The distorted reporting by The Nation, it said, raises concerns about whether the author misunderstood the official text or intentionally misled readers.
Refuting allegations that Cambodia sought to block the resolution or manipulate committee membership, the Senate cited official IPU records showing Cambodia’s transparent, professional, and consensus-based participation within the Asia-Pacific Group. The Senate also pointed out that The Nation ignored Cambodia’s official clarification dated 23 October 2025, which clearly detailed its positive contributions to the resolution process.
The statement further rejected The Nation’s claim concerning Cambodia’s meeting with IPU Secretary-General Mr. Martin Chungong, clarifying that the discussion focused solely on enhancing cooperation between the IPU and the Cambodian Parliament, as well as addressing the negative impact of fake news and irresponsible media conduct—precisely the kind of disinformation exemplified by The Nation’s recent coverage.
The Senate emphasized that Cambodia’s delegation did not request or propose any meeting with the Thai Delegation, as there was no mandate or necessity for such engagement.
The Spokesperson warned that by continuing to spread false information, The Nation undermines the spirit of truth, dialogue, and peace that both Cambodia and Thailand pledged to uphold—most recently reaffirmed through the Joint Declaration on Peace and Cooperation, signed in Kuala Lumpur on 26 October 2025.
The statement concluded by reaffirming that while Cambodia values freedom of the press, such freedom must be exercised responsibly:
“Freedom of the press does not mean freedom to fabricate. Cambodia remains firmly committed to truth, mutual respect, and regional peace and cooperation.”
