Prime Minister Hun Manet has taken former opposition leader Sam Rainsy to task over the latter’s claims that the government is not paying attention to the plight of Cambodians in Israel. “They allege that the Cambodian government does not care and does not fulfil its constitutional obligations to protect the lives of its citizens. It is a story that does not reflect reality,” Mr Hun Manet said. The Prime Minister made the remarks during a meeting with more than 120,000 factory workers in Kampong Cham province yesterday. “Today, I would like to talk about the situation in Israel. I have seen some veteran politicians come out and attack the government and claim that they will collect money from philanthropists to buy plane tickets for Cambodian students in Israel to return home. “They announced more than 10 days ago that they will raise the money, and I would like to ask them why they have not yet announced the result of the fundraiser and whether they have received any donations from generous people,” he said. On October 10, Rainsy announced a fundraiser to charter a plane to transport Cambodians stranded in Israel back to Cambodia. His announcement was in response to Radio Free Asia (RFA)’s question seeking his comment on former Prime Minister Hun Sen and Mr Hun Manet’s decision not to transport Cambodians out of Israel unless the Jewish state requested it. Other nations, he said, such as the US, France, and Thailand have flown people out of the country. Since the attack by Hamas on Israel, some opposition groups have attacked the government, accusing the ruling party of not looking after Cambodians caught in the conflict. Mr Hun Manet added that the government is monitoring the situation in Israel and paying close attention to Cambodians living and studying in the country with ministries and officials reporting their well-being to him four times a day. Government working groups have been in regular contact with students and farm owners where they live, as well as the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all Cambodians and provide assistance when they need it, the Prime Minister said. There are 450 Cambodian students in Israel who are safe and under the protection of Israeli forces, Mr Hun Manet added. The government has provided a five-star hotel, which is 300 kilometres from the Gaza Strip, as a safe haven for Cambodian citizens, however, no Cambodian residents or students have been evacuated to the hotel as they claim that the area where they live is secure and they have resumed work, he said. He told Cambodian citizens and students still living in Israel that the government would not abandon them. The government is also looking into a way for Cambodians to enter Egypt if necessary. Mr Hun Manet expressed his condolences over the loss of a Cambodian student, Chan Udom, in an attack near Gaza Strip in Israel on October 7. Udom, a third-year student at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Royal University of Agriculture was killed during the deadly offensive in Israel. In a separate development, Mr Hun Manet said that the Cambodian government has agreed with the United Nations to have about 100 Cambodian peacekeepers evacuated from Mali due to intensified rebel attacks. “A few days ago, I had to give my consent to withdraw our Blue Helmet troops from Mali as the UN began evacuating them because in some places the troops were no longer stationed there and even the UN Blue Helmet troops were attacked,” the Prime Minister said.