Thailand blasts ‘fake news’ of plot to kill Hun Sen, Hun Manet

Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa today described as “distasteful” Cambodian media reports alleging that the Thai Air Force is planning missile strikes to assassinate Cambodian strongman Hun Sen and his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet.

Maris told a news briefing that Thailand has never had such a plan, adding that the reporting is baseless and distasteful.

The Thai Air Force has also denied the reports via its official Facebook page, saying “All air operations conducted by Thailand are carried out in the exercise of the right to self-defence, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, in strict accordance with international humanitarian law and the principle of legitimacy in self-defence.”

Meanwhile, the Thai Foreign Ministry issued a statement categorically rejecting the report as baseless and unfounded, complaining that, “Spreading false information amid key discussions currently taking place under the General Border Committee framework in Malaysia is not only unconstructive, but also risks seriously undermining the positive spirit of these talks.”

The Khmer Times cited a ‘reliable official source’, who claimed that a foreign intelligence unit had informed them of a Thai plan to use AT-6TH light attack aircraft, equipped with South Korean GPS-guided bombs, to assassinate the two Cambodian leaders.

The report further claimed that, on July 29, Thailand received eight aircraft with 200 missiles and four other types of aircraft, either repaired by or purchased from South Korea.

“These missiles are dangerous, because they are equipped with GPS guidance systems to hit targets accurately,” the article said.

According to the report, the RTAF planned to test the aircraft in a border area, opposite Thailand’s Trat province, to assess their operational capabilities.