Cambodians rush to stockpile Thai fuel and bottled water after Hun Sen's announcement

Several Cambodian nationals continue to smuggle Thai products into Cambodia, including bottled water and energy drinks, following former Senate President Hun Sen’s recent Facebook post.

According to Khmer Times, Hun Sen has challenged Thailand to send Cambodian workers back and criticised the Thai opposition's proposal to cut oil exports to Cambodia, claiming it could lead to self-destruction.

He also threatened to suspend the import of all canned goods from Thailand, including alcoholic beverages and energy drinks, as well as all types of canned fish and meat.

A Cambodian national told Nation TV that Thai bottled water tastes better than the one available in Poipet, with many trying to smuggle water by hiding it, as Cambodian police only allow two packs to be imported per day. 

According to a Thai vendor, the reason for buying water from Thailand is because it is cleaner and cheaper. Bottled water in Poipet is more expensive, selling at 20 baht per bottle due to the lack of local production facilities, the vendor explained.

Regarding fuel, a Thai worker in Cambodia revealed that the country currently requires large amounts of fuel to generate electricity, both in government offices and hotels, which has driven up fuel prices. 

In Poipet, petrol stations are owned by Cambodians who purchase fuel from PTT in Thailand. Therefore, if Thailand halts fuel exports, it would significantly affect Cambodia, the worker said.

Furthermore, after electricity was cut from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), Poipet now experiences frequent power outages, damaging electrical appliances, and people in Poipet have resorted to using generators instead.

Due to rising fuel prices, Cambodians are driving to Thailand to fill their tanks and transport fuel back in 200-litre drums daily. In Thailand, 95-octane petrol costs 41.54 baht per litre, while in Poipet, it’s 50 baht. Diesel in Thailand costs 31.94 baht, compared to 40 baht in Cambodia.

A source from the immigration office confirmed that if the border is closed, it would impact over 30,000 Cambodian workers who are employed at Rong Kluea Market in Sa Kaeo. 

On Saturday, the fifth day of control measures, Thai nationals were prohibited from working in casinos and entertainment venues in Poipet, near the Ban Klong Luek border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province.

As a result, no Thai workers were seen travelling to the casinos, while Cambodians continued to enter Thailand for work as usual.

Cambodian immigration authorities opened the Poipet border gate an hour later than Thailand’s, and there were still many Cambodians, including shopkeepers from Rong Kluea Market, rushing to cross the border for trading.

The Aranyaprathet immigration officers revealed that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had instructed his team to monitor the situation at the border, though he had not shown up by late afternoon.



Mr A, a pseudonym for a man from Khon Kaen who has been working in online gambling in Poipet for three months, shared that his employer, the owner of the gambling website in Poipet, had started asking Thai workers to return gradually, as Cambodia planned to close the border. 

He confirmed that by the end of the month, all Thai workers would need to leave, although they may return if the situation stabilises.

Mr A mentioned that working at the gambling website in Poipet earned him 18,000 baht per month, along with accommodation, and he worked 8 to 12 hours a day answering messages from online gamblers.



Col Methee Khamtem, commander of the 12th Ranger Forces Regiment, revealed that after the restriction on Thai workers going to casinos, the number of Thai workers has significantly decreased. Currently, only about 300 Thai vendors travel daily to sell goods, which shows that skilled labour is highly sought after in Cambodia.

However, he noted that the situation remains precarious, urging Thai workers to closely monitor the situation. He also mentioned that the duration of the measure to shorten Cambodian tourists' visas to seven days depends on the decision of the Thai government and military.

Nation TV spoke with a Cambodian vendor who has been trading at Rong Kluea Market during the crisis. She shared that business has been poor but she still manages to sell some items, especially through online platforms, shipping goods to Thailand.

She expressed her hope that the situation would resolve quickly, as she does not want it to drag on any longer.

(2025/06/21-00:00)