I was betrayed first": Hun Sen's livestream exposes rift with Thaksin

Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen went live on Facebook on Friday (27 June 2025), just a day after warning that he would expose former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Speaking in Khmer, Hun Sen delivered a combative message, claiming betrayal and threatening to reveal damaging information about the Shinawatra family.

“The time has come,” Hun Sen said. “They have betrayed me. Today, I will speak on eight points.”

He added that further details would be shared with diplomats scheduled to meet him later that day.

“If they want it today, I will expose the Thaksin family.”

Recording was no accident

The Cambodian strongman began with the leaked audio clip, saying it was recorded intentionally:

“I recorded that conversation because I have been betrayed before,” he stated, justifying the leak.

Paetongtarn accused of deception

His second point was an accusation against Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who deceived him. “Paetongtarn said it was just part of the negotiation tactic. But clearly, you don’t know me at all,” Hun Sen said.

He went on to criticise Thaksin for failing to instil values in his children:

“On 14 June, Thaksin attacked me online. Meanwhile, the Thai Prime Minister disrespects her own military and monarchy. I will reveal the truth today.”

“You may insult your own army and monarch – but you cannot do the same to me. It won’t work.”

Defiant over audio recordings

Hun Sen rejected any suggestion that his recording was illegal:

“There is no law preventing me from recording conversations. Why is the Thai Prime Minister afraid of a leaked audio clip?”

He closed his speech with defiance:

“If you want to take it to the International Court of Justice, go ahead. I’m in Cambodia. File your 5,000 complaints – I don’t care.”

Hun Sen continued his tirade against the Thai leadership, accusing Paetongtarn Shinawatra of using the call centre crackdown as a pretext for hostile action and border aggression.

“As Thai Prime Minister, you shouldn’t behave this way,” Hun Sen said. “You claimed you went to the border to tackle call centre scams, but you ordered the border closed starting on 7 June and extended the shutdown further.”

Cambodia ‘deceived under the guise of cooperation’

“You closed the border under the guise of suppressing scams, when in fact your intention was aggression,” he said.

“I have always said that online fraud is far from over — we need cooperation to address it. So why are you using it to attack Cambodia?”

He asserted that Cambodia had exercised patience for the sake of bilateral ties, while suggesting that Thailand had been the one backing criminal groups operating along its borders with Myanmar and Laos.

On the internet blackout and apology

Hun Sen then accused Thai authorities of cutting internet access and later apologising for it, only to shift the blame.

“You cut off the internet and apologised to me, but later claimed that Cambodia didn’t understand. Thai people should scrutinise the facts about their leader.”

“Even your own people don’t trust their leader — why should I?”

Call for regional unity, not blame

Addressing online scams, Hun Sen called for joint efforts to eradicate digital crime, including a total ban on online gambling and stricter internet controls:

“To wipe out online fraud, we must also shut down gambling operations. If needed, block the internet entirely.”

“Thai Prime Minister, Thai Defence Minister — don’t spill blood onto Cambodia.”

“You shouldn’t be prime minister if your foreign minister despises Cambodia — and you don’t even know it.”

“We were forced to cut internet services coming from Thailand,” Hun Sen said. “Now I want to ask the Thai Defence Minister: why are you claiming that Cambodia still purchases electricity from Thailand? We’ve already stopped.”

He accused Thailand of speaking dishonestly to the public:

“You’ve closed the borders completely, but then publicly deny it. I don’t understand.”

He noted that trade from Thailand benefits Thai businesses far more than Cambodia, especially in healthcare spending:

“Cambodians have spent a lot of money at Thai hospitals — but now they’ve stopped. Is that a win?”

On fuel and energy, Hun Sen mentioned that PTT, Thailand’s state-owned oil and gas company, had also been affected:

“We’ve been forced to stop buying from PTT. But we’ve already found alternatives — from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. You can no longer bully Cambodia.”

Cambodian workers and labour retaliation

Turning to labour issues, Hun Sen said Cambodia had been insulted and looked down upon for too long.

“We’re ready to bring our workers back home. We have domestic labour shortages anyway, so we welcome them. You might be able to send them back to Cambodia, but it will cause labour shortages in your own country.”

Cabinet reshuffle and personal betrayal

In his fifth major point, Hun Sen revealed private discussions allegedly held with Paetongtarn:

“Let me now talk about the Thai Cabinet reshuffle. In Cambodia’s history, only someone like me — Samdech Techo — has ever been consulted by the Thai government.”

“After meeting with all Cambodian leaders, Paetongtarn came to my house. She discussed her Cabinet plans and internal problems with me. But I chose not to tell her about Cambodia’s internal affairs — because if she can talk about her own team so openly, I fear she may one day do the same to me.”

He challenged her to deny the claim under oath:

“If what I said isn’t true, shall we swear an oath?”

“Most people still call me ‘Father’ — even those of my own generation — because of what I represent: peace, development, and experience.”

Legal challenge to Thaksin

In his seventh point, Hun Sen turned his attention directly to Thaksin:

“The court is considering his case. I want to know — can I testify as a witness? Thaksin is not sick. He’s faking it. He wore a neck brace in public, then took it off afterwards.”

“They betrayed me, so now I must expose them. Even Paetongtarn knows she’s guilty too.”

Hun Sen escalated his criticism of the Shinawatra family on Friday, openly questioning which border former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra used to flee Thailand after her conviction: “Was it Cambodia, Laos, or Myanmar?” he asked, in a sharply rhetorical tone.

“We helped. Our land is meant to save lives — but that doesn’t mean we allow others to use our territory to fight against the Thai government,” he said.

“Thai people are not our enemies. I believe they want to be friends with us.”

“Thailand was the one that closed the border. So they are the ones who must reopen it — if they want to.”

Attacks on Paetongtarn: “She insulted me and my son”

Hun Sen launched a personal attack on Prime Minister Paetongtarn, accusing her of mocking him and discrediting his son, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet:

“She insulted me. She said Hun Manet was unprofessional. That’s why I’m revealing all the secrets now.”

He continued by referencing Donald Trump’s controversial use of social media:

“I warned her that she should resist, not act like Trump using social media to command attacks. But instead, she acted arrogantly toward Cambodia — and even looked down on her fellow Thai citizens.”

Hun Sen took a moment to praise General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, former Thai Prime Minister, for his historic role in helping Cambodia achieve peace. He contrasted this with what he called the betrayal by Thaksin Shinawatra — the very man he once protected.

“It was I who helped Thaksin after the 2011 coup. He was in trouble, and I gave him support.”

“The embassy riots of 2003 were Cambodia’s mistake. We allowed it to happen. But we paid compensation. After that, Thaksin closed the border.”

“I repeatedly asked Thailand to reopen the border — and they ignored me. So I ordered a 3-day closure of the Cambodian side. Only then did Thailand agree to reopen. Now, his daughter is playing the same game.”

A new Thai leader needed

Concluding his remarks, Hun Sen expressed hope for political change in Thailand:

“I hope Thailand gets a new Prime Minister — someone who can solve problems with Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.”