Prime Minister Hun Sen has signed a sub-decree authorising the recruitment of more than 300 new soldiers into the Air Defence Division.

Speaking at a May 3 meeting with the 1,753 students who passed high school examinations with “A” grades last year, the premier also responded to unnamed critics who said that Cambodia does not need fighter aircraft.

“I have signed this sub-decree to increase our air defence capabilities. Cambodia does not need the kind of aircraft that are used to intercept others and shoot them down; it needs aerial power that can be used defensively. I call it ‘sky net’ because I have some experience with bombing and strafing operations – I know how effective they are. In Cambodia, we’ve never used aircraft,” he said.

During the inauguration ceremony of the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Centre at Preah Ang Duong Hospital in Phnom Penh in March, Hun Sen also mentioned “sky net” – in response to a commentator criticising Cambodia for its lack of fighter aircraft and submarines. He also said that some commentators did not understand the meaning of what he meant by the term sky net.

“One day at [Preah] Ang Duong Hospital, I mentioned the sky net. Some who do not understand could not figure out its true meaning. At that time, there were some comments that we lacked fighter aircraft and submarines,” he said.

The premier went on to explain the meaning of sky net. “If the aircraft simply fly, they have no effect on us. If they want to attack us, they will strafe us with cannons or drop bombs. And when that happens, we will launch hundreds of thousands of projectiles from the ground upwards at them. This is what I meant by a sky net.”

In March, Hun Sen also hit back at unnamed commentators who said that Cambodia voted against Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine because the country has yet to be equipped by Russia with submarines, fighter jets and bombers, had no compulsory military service and because the Cambodian armed forces had a lot of generals with big bellies.

He said the comments were merely a crude attempt to persuade Cambodia to change its stance on the Russian offensive against its neighbour.