AKP Phnom Penh, November 04, 2025 --

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate, has reaffirmed that Cambodia has never requested Thailand to reopen the border, viewing the closure instead as an opportunity to strengthen local production.

In a social media post this evening, Samdech Techo Hun Sen welcomed the recent positive developments following the signing of the Joint Statement between Cambodia and Thailand by the Prime Ministers of both countries, facilitated by the Malaysian Prime Minister in his capacity as ASEAN Chair and U.S. President Donald Trump as the Peace Envoy. This includes the convening of the JBC and RBC meetings, as well as the initial withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the disputed area, under the supervision and verification of the ASEAN Observers Team (AOT). “This marks a step toward ending or easing tensions between the two countries, a development we should all celebrate,” he underlined. 

“However, while expressing my appreciation, I find it necessary to inform the Cambodian people not to misunderstand the reopening of the Cambodia-Thailand border checkpoints. In recent times, some Thai leaders have repeatedly raised the topic of reopening the border, possibly turning it into a campaign issue for upcoming elections in Thailand,” he said. 

According to Samdech Techo, the repeated remarks by Thai leadership, including the Prime Minister, regarding the reopening of border checkpoints have caused confusion among the Cambodian and Thai public, leading some to believe that Cambodia has requested Thailand to reopen the border.

The Senate President said that he did not want the Cambodian people to go to bed with this misleading information. For the Thai public, it is an internal matter that may be exploited for election purposes, with the reopening of the border potentially being used as an election campaign topic.

“To the Cambodian people, I wish to reiterate: ever since Thailand unilaterally closed the border, Cambodia has never asked Thailand to reopen it. If Thailand wants to keep it closed for another 100 or even 500 years, that is entirely their decision. After all, the key is in Thailand’s hands,” he stressed. 

Samdech Techo reaffirmed that this closure has not led to Cambodia's downfall; on the contrary, it has created opportunities. It has prompted an increase in domestic goods, replacing Thai products, thereby stimulating local production growth.

Moreover, he emphasised that Thailand's closure of the border with Cambodia is not merely a severance of bilateral ties but a disruption to ASEAN and Asia as a whole. "What becomes of the ASEAN highway, the ASEAN railway, and the Asia highway?” he asked.

“It is my hope that this message reaches Thai leadership and the Thai public, and makes it clear that Cambodia is not pleading for the reopening of border checkpoints. Likewise, I hope the Cambodian people will not be misled into thinking that their government is lowering itself to request Thailand’s cooperation on reopening the border,” Samdech Techo concluded. 

By C. Nika