Speaking at the UNGA’s 80th session in New York on Saturday (Sept 27), Mr Sihasak responded to Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sokhonn Prak, who alleged that Cambodian civilians had been evicted from land they had lived on for decades and that an unprovoked attack had occurred near a sensitive site.
The Cambodian official appeared to be referring to Thailand’s attempts to reclaim part of Ban Nong Chan village in Sa Kaeo province from Cambodian refugees who remained after fleeing the civil war in the 1970s, reports the Bangkok Post.
“To my dismay, Cambodia continues to present itself as the victim. Time and time again it has portrayed its own version of the facts, which does not hold up to scrutiny because it is simply a distortion of the truth,” Sihasak told the assembly.
“We know who are the real victims: they are Thai soldiers who have lost their legs to landmines, children whose schools were shelled, and innocent civilians who were shopping that day at the grocery store that came under attack from Cambodian rocket fire,” the Thai foreign minister said.
Mr Sihasak noted that he had met his Cambodian counterpart the previous day and heard very different language than in Saturday’s address.
“Yesterday... we talked about peace, dialogue, mutual trust and confidence... but unfortunately, what was said today by the Cambodian side was completely opposite.
"The allegations were so far-fetched they make a mockery of the truth,” he said.
He added that he had originally intended to deliver a positive speech but was forced to rewrite it in response to the Cambodian remarks.
On allegations of forced evictions, Mr Sihasak insisted: “The villages referred to by my Cambodian colleague are in Thai territory, full stop. In fact, they exist because Thailand made the humanitarian decision to open up our borders in the late 1970s for hundreds of thousands of Cambodians fleeing the civil war.
"As a young diplomat, I witnessed that scene myself.”
Although the shelters were closed after the conflict, he said, the villages expanded over the decades despite repeated Thai protests. He stressed that Thailand also played a key role in rebuilding Cambodia after the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, constructing homes, roads and hospitals “because peace in Cambodia is in Thailand’s interest”.
Mr Sihasak accused Cambodia of mobilising civilians, firing weapons and deploying surveillance drones inside Thai territory. “These actions constitute a violation of Thailand’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the ceasefire agreement,” he said.
“Thailand has always, and will always, stand for peace," the Thai foreign minister concluded. "At the same time, Thailand will always stand firm and resolute in the defence of our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"Thailand chooses the path of peace... but we really question whether it is the intention of Cambodia to join us in the pursuit for peace.”