Interior ministry official: Thai attempts to involve Interpol over leaked call reflects fear of ICJ

He noted that the Thai authorities wanted Interpol to charge Hun Sen just for pointing out to the Thai prime minister that Thailand closed its borders and must reopen them, even suggesting that he leaked audio that caused insecurity in the neighbouring Kingdom.

Sokhak released a 40-minute video response to Thailand's latest move related to the leaked call between the Senate president and the currently suspended Thai Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

He said that even though the Thai court has issued an arrest warrant and requested the involvement of Interpol, it is unlikely that the global organisation will take further action.

“They have to examine the evidence first, they have to examine the facts first, because this is not a criminal matter. It is a political matter between politicians,” he said.

Sokhak noted that, according to Thai media reports, the Thai police prepared a case and submitted it to their court.

Then, Thai police asked Interpol to issue a red notice and launch an operation to arrest the Cambodian Senate president.

Sokhak, speaking as a long-time journalist, said: “The article is more of a composition than a journalistic profession and serves the narrative that its leaders have put out. This is a war of news, or an unarmed online war, but like a war on the battlefield.”

He explained that the Thai side often creates misinformation and inaccurate themes, placing its media on the frontline of information warfare, both at home and abroad.

He accused Thai media of spreading information according to the wishes of their leaders, lying to their people and the world.

“Using the leaked message between Hun Sen and the suspended prime minister as a political tool, especially filing a complaint with the court, will harm the reputation, honour and dignity of the Senate president, as well as Cambodia as a whole on the international stage, which is a member of the United Nations,” he suggested.

Sokhak accused the Thai government and media of attempting to involve Interpol, an international police organisation, in their country’s anarchic politics.

He also raised the question of whether a country that arrests a criminal must request an arrest warrant from Interpol, clarifying that it must first complete its internal procedures through the police and the courts, and only when there is an arrest warrant with strong evidence will it initiate the procedure to request an Interpol red notice.

Sokhak elaborated on the Interpol procedure, stating that the conditions for Interpol to become involved do not include politics, military affairs, ethnicity or religion, except for crimes such as human trafficking, drugs, weapons, explosives of all kinds, cybercrime, financial fraud or money laundering.

He believed that if the Thai courts were fair and independent, it would be clear that they could not continue the procedure of involving Interpol without violating international norms.

“The issue of linking the Interpol police to its politics, the most important driver seems to be a fear of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Cambodia has filed four lawsuits related to the Ta Mone Thom, Ta Mone Touch and Ta Krabey temples, as well as the Mom Bei area, which Thailand has always denied from the beginning, saying it does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court,” he said bluntly.

He believed Thailand is trying to divert people's attention away from the ICJ and trying to drag Cambodia into the mess of Interpol's procedures, with the main aim of making the people, including the international community, forget about the ICJ and vilify Cambodia and its leadership.

The excuse for the leak of this audio message, which caused unrest and protests throughout Thailand, is simply to evade responsibility to its people, including the military, and especially the Thai monarchy, which has placed the blame on the political party leading the government.

Sokhak added that Thailand’s internal affairs were already in disarray before the audio was leaked, so it is clear that Thailand’s internal problems stem from its inability to lead itself.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior clearly explained the political nature of the audio message:

“It [the leaked phone call] was purely political. We all listened to it and discovered the same thing. It was not a plot, a plan, a strategy; it was simply made clear that we refuse to negotiate on opening the borders. We will open them when the Thais do the same,” he said.

“During the call, she [the Thai prime minister] attacked the commander of Thai military region II. This is a crime according to Thai law,” he added.

Hong Raksmey

The Phnom Penh Post

Asia News Network