AKP Phnom Penh, October 30, 2025 --

The Spokesperson of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia has rejected the false allegations by The Nation newspaper of Thailand concerning the activities of the Cambodian parliamentary delegation to the 151st Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, stressing that Cambodia values a free and responsible press, but freedom of the press does not mean freedom to fabricate.

The full statement reads as follows:

“The Spokesperson of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia expresses profound disappointment over the continued publication of fabricated and misleading information by The Nation newspaper of Thailand concerning the activities of the Parliamentary Delegation of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the 151st Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, notably in its article dated Wednesday, 29 October 2025, entitled ‘Khuon Sudary outpaces Wan Muhamad Noor Matha in Hungary for peace agreement discussions.’ This article not only distorts the truth but also betrays a lack of understanding or deliberate misrepresentation-of the official proceedings and documents of the IPU Assembly.

1- It is regrettable that The Nation once again refers to the recently adopted IPU resolution as a "Thai resolution. In reality, the resolution on Parliamentary Action against Transnational Crimes, Cybercrimes, and Hybrid Threats to Democracy and Human Security was jointly sponsored by several countries, including Thailand, Argentina, Chile, Poland, and Sweden, with the endorsement of two regional groupings.

Its content is global, not bilateral, and Cambodia's delegation actively participated in the drafting process to ensure that the resolution would serve all countries of the world. At this point, all the countries that participated in the drafting, including Cambodia, can clearly recognise the malicious intent behind The Nation's distorted message.

Such false interpretation of the document suggests that the author either failed to grasp the official text of the resolution or deliberately twisted its purpose to mislead readers-raising doubts about whether The Nation's reporting results from a poor command of English or a willful intent to distort the facts.

2- Contrary to The Nation's claim that Cambodia attempted to block the resolution or manipulate committee membership, the record of the IPU proceedings clearly shows Cambodia's constructive and transparent participation in full compliance with IPU procedures and with the consensus of the Asia-Pacific Group.

It appears that the author of this article is either blind or deliberately chooses not to see the facts contained in our official Clarification dated 23 October 2025, which clearly outlines the active and responsible role played by the Cambodian Delegation throughout the process of adopting the emergency item and the final resolution. The Cambodian Delegation acted throughout with professionalism and sincerity, working in cooperation with all partners to strengthen the collective global response to cybercrime and online scams.

3- Equally misleading is The Nation's allegation concerning Cambodia's meeting with IPU Secretary-General Mr. Martin Chungong. That meeting was indeed held, focusing on enhancing cooperation between the IPU and the Cambodian Parliament and addressing the negative impact of fake news and media distortion-precisely the kind of irresponsible reporting that The Nation continues to publish. For the record, the Cambodian Delegation never proposed any meeting with the Thai Delegation, as there was nothing to discuss and no mandate to engage in such talks.

4- By continuously spreading disinformation, The Nation undermines the values of truth, dialogue, and peace that both Cambodia and Thailand claim to uphold as demonstrated by the signing of the Joint Declaration by Cambodia and Thailand on 26 October 2025 in Kuala Lumpur.

5- Cambodia values a free and responsible press, but freedom of the press does not mean freedom to fabricate. The Delegation of the Kingdom of Cambodia reaffirms its commitment to the truth, to mutual respect, and to regional peace and cooperation.

Phnom Penh, 29 October 2025”

Cambodian parliamentary delegation led by H.E. Ouch Borith (2nd L), First Vice President of the Senate, in a meeting with IPU Secretary-General Mr. Martin Chungong, on the sidelines of the 151st IPU Assembly

By C. Nika