Samdech Hun Sen questions UN rapporteur’s silence over detention of Cambodian soldiers

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Nov.17, 2025) — Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Monday questioned why Vitit Muntarbhorn, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, has not spoken publicly about the continued detention of 18 Cambodian soldiers by Thai armed forces.

Speaking at the 33rd National Assembly of Monastic Officials, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said the soldiers were captured after a ceasefire earlier this month in a disputed border area.

“Muntarbhorn, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia and a Thai national — where has he gone? Why hasn’t he said a word?” Hun Sen asked.

He said the soldiers were not prisoners of war but had been “illegally arrested” on Cambodian soil, calling the detentions a violation of international law.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen alleged the troops were being used as leverage in broader negotiations, though Thai authorities have not publicly responded.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen urged the public and families of the soldiers to see them as having “already sacrificed themselves for the nation,” insisting they were not war criminals.

He criticized Thailand for detaining the men only hours after the ceasefire, saying, “Is there any other so-called civilized nation that arrests captives to use as bargaining chips?”