PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen is seeking cooperation from the ASEAN community as well as the United Nations to investigate drones that violate Cambodian airspace. Speaking at a meeting with nearly 20,000 workers in Kandal province on the morning of June 29, the PM expressed concern that unidentified drones could be a threat to the whole region.

"Cambodia will not allow anyone to insult its territorial sovereignty," he said. "Sometimes there is a terrorist group that ASEAN must unite against."

Last week, a drone was reported in Cambodian airspace near the Vietnam border in Ratanakkiri. The Prime Minister then ordered the deployment of troops and weapons to shoot it down. To date, no drones have been downed; however rumors have been spreading on social media of drone sightings.

The Prime Minister refuted the false information on social media and confirmed that as of last night, there were no signs of Cambodian airspace being violated. "It is strictly forbidden to post national security issues on Facebook without the permission of the military," he added.

He ordered an end to the spread of false information, which is spreading fear. He further explained that the aircraft being shown on social media is in fact a commercial plane and is not cause for alarm. "Drones are different from commercial aircraft that will fly over our airspace. [Shooting at the aircraft] is very dangerous,” he said. He instructed the National Commissioner to check Facebook for false reports.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the drone seen last week and Vietnamese authorities have directly denied it belongs to them. Prime Minister Hun Sen suspects Vietnamese separatists who may have ties to his enemy, Sam Rainsy.