PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned foreigners who claim to be democrats not to make a third mistake in Cambodia. He noted that the previously made first and second mistakes already caused millions of Cambodians to suffer.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony for students of the Institute of Technology of Cambodia on Wednesday morning, 1 March 2023, Prime Minister Hun Sen explained that the first mistake that foreign democracies made regarding Cambodia was when they supported the Lon Nol military coup to overthrow Prince Norodom Sihanouk. This set off a chain of events that ignited the flames of war in the country. The second mistake was the continued support expressed to the Khmer Rouge in the United Nations by those democracies.

"These things were their faults, made on us, they have never apologized or expressed regret,” said the Prime Minister.

The first Kingdom of Cambodia collapsed on 8 March 1970, due to a military coup led by General Lon Nol, transforming the country into a republic with the backing of the United States.

After the coup, Prince Norodom Sihanouk called on the people who loved the monarchy to join a movement to liberate the country from foreign influence. The Khmer Rouge took this opportunity to conquer the Khmer Republic on 17 April 1975. It was then that the dark regime took complete control of Cambodia, killing nearly 2 million people, the worst tragedy in Cambodian history.