PHNOM PENH: Former Prime Minister Hun Sen believes that as many as 99 per cent of Cambodians have made the decision to boycott Thai products, following what he described as the “Thai invasion of Cambodia’s territorial integrity”.
However, he cautioned against turning the boycott into an extremist, or irrational, movement.
Last night, October 20, Senate president Hun Sen took to social media to share that the boycott appears to have recently surged.
He also noted that he does not support extremists who burn goods from the neighbouring country, as such ideas go beyond patriotism and demonstrate radical nationalism.
He said he had just watched an eight-minute by a group led by KO1, which promoted the destruction of Thai goods and cursed vendors who still carry stocks of the products.
“A huge number of Cambodians, nearly 99 per cent, are now boycotting Thai products — both those inside the country and Cambodians abroad,” he explained.
“The issue lies with vendors who still have remaining Thai products — what should they do with them? Burn them? Or keep selling them to recover their investment? If KO1 has the money, they should buy all the leftover Thai goods and feed them to animals rather than burn them, as they did in the video. If humans won’t use them, then better to let animals eat them rather than destroy or burn them,” he added.
He called on KO1 to cease their “crazy” actions, and promote “moral values, ethics, virtue and the dignity of the nation”.
Khoeun Sola (KO1) is the head of a local news outlet and has previously been summoned by authorities for “education” regarding his inciteful reporting.
Chenda, a cosmetics vendor at Phnom Penh’s Orussey Market, explained that the conflict with Thailand has caused Thai product sales to plummet to nearly zero.
As most of her goods are imported from there, most of her capital is now tied up in unsold stock.
“I’m not against boycotting Thai goods, but items that have already been imported should at least be used up first,” she said.
According to Chenda, many companies and importers are now facing financial difficulties because they had already imported a large volume of goods before the recent border conflict led to the boycott. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
