PHNOM PENH (Reuters): Close to a third of Cambodia's fuel depots and petrol stations have closed temporarily due to shortages but supplies would be made available, its Commerce Minister said on Thursday.
* About 2,000 of Cambodia's 6,300 petrol stations had stopped operating since Wednesday, Commerce Minister Cham Nimul was cited as saying by the Information Ministry.
* Investigations were being conducted to establish whether all of the gas station closures were due to shortages or if businesses were holding back stocks in anticipation of higher prices, Cham Nimul said, adding offenders would be fined or have their licenses revoked.
* The government has plans to coordinate with the private sector to import fuel if supplies run low, the minister was quoted as saying at an event organised by parliament, adding that measures were being taken by the state to ensure price stability for consumers.
* Cambodia is dependent on its regional neighbours Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia for imports of fuel, according to data from the World Bank's World Integrated Trade Solution.
* Thailand in July 2025 imposed a ban on fuel exports to Cambodia after the onset of armed conflict between the two countries. Thailand exported 2.2 billion litres of fuel to Cambodia in 2024.
(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by David Stanway)
