MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2023) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday that he had instructed the country's military to send 500 soldiers to the border with Vietnam to shoot down unidentified drones if they try to enter Cambodia.
On Tuesday, Hun Sen ordered the Cambodian military to shoot down reconnaissance drones he said had entered the country's airspace in Ratanakiri province, which borders Laos and Vietnam.
"I've just ordered ... to immediately deploy 500 troops and at least 200 weapons to shoot down those drones," Hun Sen was quoted as saying by Agence Kampuchea Presse.
The report added that many drones successively entered Cambodian airspace, while Vietnam denied its involvement in the incident.
The prime minister also urged the public not to worry about the deployment of the military, as well as to cooperate in providing information related to terrorism, the report said.
At the same time, Hun Sen called on those behind the drone invasion to respect Cambodia's sovereignty as Cambodia wants "nothing but peace, independence," the news agency noted.
Cambodian news agency Fresh News Asia reported that the prime minister announced a reward of $200,000 to any unit of the Cambodian armed forces that would shoot down the drones.
