PHNOM PENH: Senate President Hun Sen has reiterated that when land borders are closed, neither people nor goods can cross. Air and sea corridors are under the jurisdiction of customs authorities, meaning they must determine what goods can and cannot enter, he added.
In a June 13 social media post, the acting head of state warned that the continued appearance of newly imported Thai products in Cambodia could be the result of misunderstandings, deliberate misinterpretations, violations of regulations or even corrupt officials and unethical traders that undermine national interests.
“To shed light on this issue and put an end to ignorance, I would like to clarify one important point: as long as the Cambodia–Thailand land border remains closed, all goods imported through land border crossings are illegal, smuggled items that harm the nation and insult national dignity. When land borders are closed, people cannot cross, and goods cannot cross either,” he said.
“Efforts must be focused on taking action against goods crossing through land borders, because it is impossible for land borders to be closed while goods are still entering. Please do not claim that these products are merely old stock that has not yet been sold. Some products were manufactured in 2026, even though the land border was unilaterally closed a year earlier,” he noted.
“How then did they appear on the Cambodian market? Moreover, if they were genuinely old stock, many of them should already have expired. Consumers are the ultimate decision-makers. Do not spend your money only to be looked down upon, both as individuals and as a nation,” he added.
A few days earlier, on June 11, he instructed authorities across the country to conduct investigations into locations suspected of illegally importing Thai products through land routes for distribution in the Cambodian market. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
