Samdech Techo Hun Sen, the Senate President, has once again stated clearly that Cambodia will not ask Thailand to reopen the border. He stressed that the choice to open it rests entirely with Thailand.
Speaking at the opening of the 33rd National Congress of Buddhist Monks in Phnom Penh, he sent a direct message:
“I want to tell both the Thai military and government leaders that Cambodia will not humble itself to ask Thailand to reopen the border. We did not close it; you did. The decision is in your hands. Cambodia is not asking you to open it.”
Mr. Hun Sen explained that instead of waiting, Cambodia needs to focus on strengthening its own manufacturing and finding different places to get the supplies it needs.
At the same time, he urged Cambodian people not to let extreme nationalism lead them to stop buying Thai products that are actually made by Thai businesses operating inside Cambodia. He warned that boycotting these goods could cause harm.
The Senate President agreed that both Cambodia and Thailand are currently losing out because of the border issues. However, he noted that Cambodia is less affected because it buys much more from Thailand than it sells to them.
He concluded by putting the situation in perspective: “The area we are arguing over is very small compared to the vast peaceful land we share, yet we worry about everything. Please think clearly—once things are peaceful again, we will have good neighborly relations again. Many ways to solve this are already set up, and we should let the experts deal with the problem.”