Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Thailand’s military, demanding the reopening of border crossings closed earlier this month. If the Thai side fails to act, Cambodia will suspend all imports of Thai fruits and vegetables starting Tuesday, June 17.
Speaking during a Senate session on Monday, Hun Sen said the recent closure of the border was a unilateral move by Thai military forces. He stated that any reopening must begin with action from the Thai side, insisting that Cambodia will not initiate the process.
The former prime minister, who now leads the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, repeated his warning that if no progress is made within the specified timeframe, Cambodia will not only stop importing Thai agricultural products but will also shut down routes used to transit Thai produce through Cambodia to Vietnam.
Hun Sen further urged Cambodian citizens to support local farmers by purchasing domestic agricultural goods. He encouraged donations of these products to military units, orphanages, and armed forces training centers across the country.
According to Thailand’s Department of Foreign Trade, bilateral trade between Cambodia and Thailand has steadily grown over the past four years, reaching approximately 5 billion US dollars annually between 2020 and 2024.
In 2024 alone, cross-border trade surpassed 5.4 billion US dollars. Thai exports made up the lion’s share, totaling more than 4 billion dollars, while Cambodian exports to Thailand amounted to just over 1 billion dollars.
Thailand primarily exports beverages, automobile parts, machinery, and agricultural equipment to Cambodia, with these goods making up more than 30 percent of its total exports to the Cambodian market. Conversely, Cambodia’s major exports to Thailand include cassava, scrap metal, and electric wires, which are key inputs for Thailand’s manufacturing sectors such as animal feed, processing industries, and electronics.
Thailand’s decision to close several regional and international border checkpoints on June 7 followed a breakdown in bilateral talks over a long-standing territorial dispute involving four locations: the Ta Moan and Ta Krabei temple complexes, and two other contested areas in the Dangrek Mountains.
Bangkok has urged Phnom Penh to resolve the dispute through the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission, which oversees demarcation and placement of land border markers. However, Thailand has rejected Cambodia’s previous attempts to bring the matter before the International Court of Justice.
