Phnom Penh: Acting Prime Minister Hun Sen has considered confiscating the assets of those who illegally import Thai goods into the country by forcing them to work as laborers digging trenches.
The statement by the Acting Prime Minister was made during a meeting with 2,805 refugee families in Svay Chek district, Banteay Meanchey province on June 9, 2026.
Speaking on the occasion, Samdech Techo emphasized that closing or opening the border is the decision of the Thai leadership and Cambodia also has the right to respond, regardless of whether it wants to close it for 100 years or 500 years.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen also emphasized that a peaceful resolution of the border issue is a solution that benefits both sides and builds trust, as we cannot live next door to each other and be enemies for life.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen said “But I would like to reprimand the importers of goods. They say they smuggle goods from there. On our side, we should look at the borders and put the importers of goods that are illegally coming in. We should seize them and let them go and dig up the land. Let’s see if every day we have our own pure water. We have all our own goods. And we should go and take them away. And sometimes they come with chicken legs. They don’t eat chicken feet. You bring chicken feet and let the Khmer people eat them. Look, what do you say, what do you say, what do you mean, because don’t just say, what do you mean “Why are you making it harder to work? Is it not possible? The bottom line is that we lack goods, and we have lacked goods for over a year. It is enough to know that Cambodians have the ability to supply their own goods.”
