This image is not politics. This is Cambodia.

A child, alone, hiding underground—because fear has returned to our border.

Not because Cambodians chose conflict.

Not because Cambodia chose violence.

For decades, we have worked to free our land from the legacy of war.

We cleared mines so children could walk freely, so families could farm, so villages could live without fear.

We did this with sacrifice, discipline, and dignity.

Yet today, Cambodian civilians once again feel unsafe in their own land.

Let this be clear:

Cambodia does not need war.

Cambodia does not provoke conflict.

Cambodia does not lay new mines.

What we ask for is simple and just: truth, investigation, and respect for sovereignty.

When a child hides in the earth, the world should not look away.

When fear returns to Cambodia, silence becomes complicity.

Cambodia stands for peace—but peace must be protected.

Our children deserve a future above ground, under the open sky, without fear.