Defence Minister Tea Banh reassured citizens that tensions along the Cambodian-Vietnamese border have eased and returned to normality.

He added that military personnel haven’t encountered any surveillance drones or individuals attempting to execute terrorist actions on Cambodian soil.

However, he highlighted that certain military units are on standby, closely observing the evolving situation on the ground.

On July 19, he noted that the government was previously misinformed about drones engaging in terrorist activities within Cambodia.

Despite the improved situation, some military forces remain deployed at the border to monitor the landscape and prepare for potential disturbances.

“We’ve placed some military forces on standby. If a real problem arises, we can launch immediate operations,” he stated.

The Defence Minister affirmed that the border situation has significantly improved and does not warrant worry.

National military forces, he says, are ever-prepared to manage any situation for the sake of national security.

He dismissed notions concerning the mobilisation of armed forces along the border and the demonstration of military might ahead of elections.

He assured that the government has no intention to flaunt military influence, and the troops are merely on high alert, ready regardless of the veracity of the drone news.

Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, agreed with the ongoing deployment of military personnel along the border for monitoring purposes and immediate response in case of an incident.

“Cambodia is still identifying the precise information about the drones,” he added.

“Cambodia must ready its forces to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty. We have yet to shoot down any drone as we are uncertain of its origin and if an opposition group from Vietnam may be concealed within Cambodian territory,” he said.

Phea also noted mutual willingness from both Cambodia and Vietnam to cooperate and reinforce border security between the two nations.

On June 27, Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered that any intrusive drones be shot down after reports emerged of drone activity over Mondulkiri and Ratanakkiri provinces.

The Vietnamese authorities confirmed that these drones were not theirs, amid rumours of a Vietnamese government crackdown on insurgents along the shared Cambodian- Vietnamese border.