Phumtham says Hun Sen must take responsibility for leaked audio clip

Phumtham says Hun Sen must be held accountable for secretly recording and leaking a private call with Thai PM Paetongtarn amid rising Thai-Cambodian tensions.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Monday that the Thai government and military are united in their approach to dealing with tensions with Cambodia. He added that former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen must take responsibility for recording and leaking a private conversation with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Phumtham was speaking to reporters at Government House at 9:45am when asked to comment on various actions taken by the Cambodian government amid escalating Thai-Cambodian border tensions.

When informed that the Cambodian government had summoned the Thai ambassador to protest against a complaint filed by Thai police against Hun Sen, Phumtham replied, “Hun Sen must take responsibility for his actions.”Earlier, Somkid Chuakong, Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister, lodged a police complaint accusing Hun Sen of violating Thai security laws by secretly recording a private conversation with Paetongtarn and leaking it on social media to discredit her.

Phumtham said Somkid had the right to file the complaint and that the Cambodian government also had the right to respond.

When a reporter mentioned that the Cambodian side claimed the recording was made for the sake of transparency, Phumtham responded:

“What? Hun Sen earlier claimed he didn’t do it… In fact, he posted it on his Facebook page. He must take responsibility for what he did.”

Fuel ban and military stance clarified

Asked about Cambodia’s recent ban on fuel and gas imports from Thailand, Phumtham said the move would not affect Thailand, but would negatively impact the Cambodian people.When told that the Cambodian government claimed Thailand’s government and military were using different approaches to handling the border dispute, Phumtham dismissed the claim, stating:
“That’s not true. The government and army are working closely together. We regularly hold discussions on how to deal with the situation with Cambodia.”

Thai panel to address online scams linked to Cambodia

Phumtham also revealed that a special government committee would meet on Monday afternoon to discuss measures to combat online scammers operating from Cambodia, which have caused significant financial damage.

(2025/06/23-00:00)