AKP Phnom Penh, June 07, 2025 --

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate of Cambodia, has called on his compatriots to maintain dignity, maturity, gentleness, modesty, and firmness in the face of ongoing tensions, urging them not to respond to provocations or allow foreign parties to insult Cambodia.

In a message posted on social media this evening, the Senate President addressed growing calls online to boycott Thai products, emphasising that he and Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet have repeatedly urged the Cambodians not to escalate the conflict into other sectors, especially to the point of racial hatred.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen noted that the Thai military had unilaterally closed the Poipet border crossing ahead of schedule today and stressed that the Thai side must bear responsibility for that decision. He called on Cambodians to respond with restraint.

“Our people must remain mature and dignified—please do not provoke,” he said.

He clarified that any absence of Thai goods from Cambodian markets would be a result of the Thai border closure, not a Cambodian boycott.

“I simply want to remind both Cambodians and Thais: if Thai goods are unavailable in Cambodia, it is not due to a boycott, but because the border was closed. When people are blocked, goods are blocked too,” Samdech Techo Hun Sen explained.

Citing official trade statistics, he pointed out that in 2024 Cambodia exported over US$1.1 billion worth of goods to Thailand, while imports from Thailand totaled more than US$5.2 billion. In the first five months of 2025 alone, Cambodia exported over US$200 million and imported more than US$1.5 billion worth of goods from Thailand.

“If Thai products cannot reach the Cambodian market, it is an issue for the Thai people to address with their own government,” he said. “As for Cambodians, if Thai goods are unavailable, don’t blame your government. This is a result of Thailand’s decision to close the border.”

By C. Nika