Thailand is using a strategy of pressure on Cambodia by closing the border, thinking that it will be able to collapse the Cambodian economy. But such a strategy is more likely to be ineffective because the current economic situation of Cambodia is not entirely dependent on Thailand.
To normalize relations between the two countries, Thailand must change this strategy and choose a softer and more peaceful strategy. If you don’t want the tension between the two countries to affect the lives of the Cambodian and Thai people.
A few decades ago, Thailand could have been the lifeblood of Cambodia’s economy in all sectors, from trade to tourism to energy, etc. But at present, putting pressure on Cambodia on those lifelines is no longer effective because Cambodia has already liberated itself and is diversifying its sources of economic sustainability to a broader and more open one.
The strategy of cutting off the economic pulse that some Thai strategists have mentioned since the beginning of the war on border closures, electricity cuts, and the Internet And recently, with fuel, there was a report that Cambodians were lining up to buy fuel. There is absolutely no pressure on Cambodia.
On June 21, Thailand announced the closure of the Saitaku Chubkiri border crossing in Oddar Meanchey province, so Cambodia responded by ordering the closure of the Choam border crossing in Oddar Meanchey province. All of Cambodia’s response actions send a message to Thailand that repression is wrong and that a solution cannot be found between the two countries.
In terms of trade, in 2024, Cambodia had a total trade volume of $54.74 billion, while with Thailand it was only $4.29 billion. So it is only 7.84 percent. In this regard, Thailand relies on the Cambodian market for 3.71 billion, while Cambodia relies on the Thai market for only nearly 845 million dollars.
In the tourism sector, Thailand used to be a laughing stock because the gateway connecting Cambodia to the world was Thailand, but now Cambodia’s gateway is broader. Just with China, there are many destinations, including Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Middle East, etc. At this time, the open-air policy that the government has put forward has expanded its scope even further.
In fact, in 2024, out of a total of 6.7 million foreign tourists visiting Cambodia, Thai tourists accounted for 2.1 million. But don’t forget that many Cambodian tourists also visit Thailand. Among the nearly 2 million Cambodians who have the resources to travel abroad, Thailand is a destination, and our citizens who go there also spend unusually large amounts of money, especially on health tourism services.
In particular, the electricity and internet that Thailand has cut off have had almost no effect after Cambodia cut off from Thailand on June 13. At this time, everything It is still normal because Cambodia has already strengthened itself. At first, the disruption was only a minor disruption to the connection, but now things are returning to normal.
And finally, fuel, with fake news circulating that Cambodians are panicking and lining up to buy fuel for their own use after Thailand threatened to cut off supplies to Cambodia. This fuel story is true, out of a total of approximately 3 million tons of fuel worth over 2 billion dollars, part of it is imported from Thailand, but those sources of supply are not entirely dependent on Thailand, there are many other sources.
Regarding the latest accusation, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, the President of the Senate and the leader of the ruling party, responded on social media to the accusation, saying that a Thai opposition party had suggested to the Thai government to stop selling oil to Cambodia, which would cause Cambodia to surrender.
Samdech Techo has confirmed to you that Cambodia is not bankrupt because it does not import oil from Thailand, but the one who is bankrupt is the Thai company PTT. Do you want the Thai company PTT to be bankrupt?0x017d7 If you want, please do as you wish.
Samdech Techo continued that Cambodia is ready to resolve the situation where those who have already seized the internet, electricity, workers, and now the oil game are weapons against us. Regarding the labor issue, in the past, they looked down on and discriminated against Cambodian workers and took them as hostages and seized us. But when we announced the acceptance of workers now, they were able to care for and comfort the workers because if Cambodian workers leave, some factories, farms, companies, and construction sites may have to close due to a lack of labor.
Samdech Techo continued that the oil is the same, please try it, but you should ask the Thai company PTT first, because it might be damaged. Thai companies that have gas stations in Cambodia.
