07/26/2025
This is not a border clash. This is an invasion.
As a filmmaker, I believe in telling stories that speak truth — especially when silence becomes dangerous. What’s happening between Cambodia and Thailand right now is being misreported by some as a “border dispute.” But I need to say it clearly: this is not a clash. This is an invasion.
On July 24, Thailand deployed F-16 fighter jets and launched airstrikes on Cambodian territory — including near the sacred sites of Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear.
At least 12 civilians were killed. Over 100,000 people have been displaced. Monks, mothers, and children are among those fleeing their homes.
On July 25, Thailand escalated the conflict by sending naval warships into Cambodian waters under an operation titled “Trat Pikhat Pairee 1.”
Today, reports have emerged that bombs were dropped in Pursat province — which is not even near the border.
This is now a multi-front assault — from air, sea, and land.
This is not a misunderstanding. This is not confusion over territory. This is a deliberate use of military power against a smaller, sovereign nation.
And yet, Thailand continues to spin the narrative — portraying itself as the victim.
It has expelled Cambodia’s ambassador, shut down diplomatic routes, and warned its citizens in Cambodia — suggesting that Cambodians are a threat.
But the truth is visible. You can’t bomb temples, kill civilians, push through oceans, and still call it a “dispute.”
I want my friends around the world — especially those in the creative, cultural, and filmmaking community — to understand why I’ve been so vocal.
I speak not out of hate. I speak out of heartbreak.
I speak for the farmers who’ve left their fields.
For the children who now sleep under the sky.
For the sacred grounds shaken by rockets.
For the young Khmer soldiers — many of them fathers — who didn’t ask for war, but are now called to defend our land.
🇰🇭 Cambodia is not perfect. But Cambodia does not want war.
We want peace. We want safety. We want truth to be seen.
This is not about politics.
This is about sovereignty, dignity, and survival.
As I write this, I don’t feel anger toward the Thai people or Thai netizens. I feel sorrow. Sorrow that your love for your country is being used — manipulated — by those in power. Your military and government are not just waging war across borders… they’re waging war on truth. They are making a spectacle out of patriotism. And that breaks my heart.
To the international media: use the right word.
It’s not a border clash.
It’s an invasion.
And as long as I have a voice, I will use it to protect the story of my country.
We seek peace. We seek a ceasefire.