Cambodia denies secret squad to stop Thai coup
Cambodian soldiers stand guard near the Thai-Cambodia border in Oddar Meanchey province on May 1, 2011.
Cambodia does not maintain a secret regiment that will surge into Bangkok and defend Thailand's ruling party in the event of a coup.
The Cambodian military had to say as much after a hardline nationalist Thai media outlet, ASTV Manager, published this claim.
Their proof? Nada.
This is the same media outlet that, earlier this year, broadcast entreaties to invade Cambodia and seize several provinces.
This is also the same outlet that has acted as a financial arm of the Yellow Shirts, a now-floundering jingoistic protest group that seized Thailand's airports in 2008, shuddering the economy.
According to ASTV, the secret Cambodian battalion is in cahoots with business mogul-turned-politician Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a 2006 coup. His sister, Yingluck, now heads Thailand's ruling party.
"The release of such allegation is considered as an attempted terrorism act which might harm stability and security in the region," said Cambodia's military according to Chinese outlet Xinhua.
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!