Phnom Penh: On the evening of November 9, 2022, Khieu Sopheak, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, confirmed to EAC over the phone that there was no case of US security forces asking for the right to shoot if bystanders raised their phones to record the presidential convoy attending the ASEAN Summit.

This clarification was made by the Ministry of Interior in response to a voice message that claimed US security forces had asked the Cambodian government for authorization to shoot anyone who followed or overtook the US presidential convoy, which was carrying President Joe Biden and the US delegation to the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia, without exception. The voice message further claimed that US security forces also requested the right to shoot anyone who raises their phone to snap a photo of the US presidential convoy if it is suspected to be a weapon.

A Ministry of Interior spokesperson verified the following in response to an EAC reporter: "Such a thing does not exist. This information is untrue. Even if the request is real, it is doubtful that we would agree to it. Usually, safety precautions (the security of the US delegation) have been implemented and everything is in order."

The Royal Government has prepared more than 10,000 joint forces to patrol and protect the streets with the convoy of delegates and at the Sokha Residence Hotel in Phnom Penh in order to secure the safety of the national and foreign delegations.

President Joe Biden will visit Cambodia from November 12 to November 13, 2022, to attend the East Asia Summit and the annual US-ASEAN Summit. The US President will then attend the G20 Summit from November 13 to 16 in Indonesia .