BANGKOK – In a forceful statement issued today, exiled Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy has urged the nation’s military and citizens to rise up and topple the government led by former Prime Minister Hun Sen and his son, current Prime Minister Hun Manet. The appeal was made in the name of the ‘Independent Cambodian Government of October 23rd’.

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Rainsy’s statement presents two core accusations against the ruling family. The first alleges that the Hun family has deliberately used Cambodian soldiers and civilians as “human shields” by ordering troops not to defend themselves against foreign attacks, specifically referencing recent military engagements with Thailand. The statement questions whether any national leader would forbid frontline soldiers from using weapons against foreign aggression, asserting that such a strategy has repeatedly led to unnecessary Khmer casualties.

Exiled Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy has called on the country’s military and citizens to rise up and topple the Hun Sen-Hun Manet regime.

In a statement issued today, in the name of the ‘Independent Cambodian Government of October 23rd’, Sam Rainsy claimed that there… pic.twitter.com/O1irkaffFq

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The second major accusation claims the leadership is actively protecting transnational scam networks, which Rainsy blames for triggering widespread crises within Cambodia. These include economic downturn, lost job opportunities, severe damage to livelihoods, debt traps, and a breakdown in social security and justice. “When the leaders of the Hun family protect criminals, it is clear that they have made the Cambodian people their enemy,” Rainsy declared.

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The statement frames the current leadership as both a national security threat and an enemy of the people, calling for their removal to end what it describes as the unjust sacrifice of Cambodian lives and the systemic protection of criminal enterprises. The Cambodian government has routinely dismissed Sam Rainsy’s previous statements as seditious and destabilizing.

-Thailand News (TN)