PHNOM PENH – Senate President Hun Sen has urged Cambodians to remain mature and composed, and to refrain from provoking any incidents. He sent this message following Thailand abruptly closing border crossings before the schedule day and without prior notification.

Thailand’s decision on June 7 to unilaterally close the border at the Poi Pet International crossing point in Banteay Meanchey province and at other border-crossing stations along with changing their hours of operation has sparked confusion and criticism from the Cambodian authorities.

The Thai authorities said that, as of June 8, the Poi Pet border crossing now operates from 8:00 am to 4 p.m. instead of being open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. 

This latest development stemmed from tensions at the border that have led to some people calling online for the boycott of Thai products, Hun Sen said on his Facebook page on June 7. In his message, he appealed on people in the country not to escalate the dispute to the point that it would spread to other sectors and fuels Thai hatred. Speaking of the Thai military unilaterally closing the Poipet border crossing ahead of schedule, he pointed out that Thailand must take full responsibility for this action. 

As for Thai products, they are absent from the Cambodian market, which is not due to Cambodians collectively boycotting them but rather as a consequence of a border closure, Hun Sen said.

The former prime minister cited trade figures according to which Cambodia exported more than $1.1 billion worth of goods to Thailand in 2024 while Thailand exported over $5.2 billion to Cambodia. So, Thailand’s exports in 2024 exceeded Cambodia’s by more than $4.1 billion, he said 

In the first five months of 2025, Cambodia exported over $200 million of products to Thailand while Thailand’s exports to Cambodia amounted to over $1.5 billion, he said.

“If imported goods are no longer entering Cambodia, the Thai people should resolve this matter directly with their own government because the ones who will suffer most are the Thai people themselves,” Hun Sen said.

Arnaud Darc, former head of the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, questioned on June 7 on Facebook Thailand’s border demarcation that has been in place and respected by both countries for decades. 

In another post on Facebook on June 8, Darc said that to understand Thailand’s rhetoric and border closing, one must look carefully at the forces shaping Thailand’s response, pointing out to the divided voices in that country.

Thailand is not speaking with one voice, Darc said. While the civilian government led by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has expressed interest in dialogue and economic cooperation, there are likely people in Bangkok who, behind the scene, would also prefer to solve this calmly and pragmatically, he said.

Then, there is the Thai military and hardline nationalist forces that are louder, more rigid, and historically more suspicious of Cambodia, Darc said.

“They reject any legal process—especially one that might force them to accept an outcome they cannot control,” he wrote. “This is why we see mixed messages: The government speaks of peace, the army speaks of readiness. Some officials call for negotiation, others shut the border.”

As Darc pointed out, the tension between the two countries over border issues is not new and, in fact, reflects deep political divisions inside Thailand between democratic institutions and the entrenched conservative power. It is in this fractured environment that Cambodia has to respond, he said. 

According to Darc, Thailand’s action is not just nationalism but the fear of legal finality as in the past, the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 and the interpretation in 2013, both times when Cambodia had chosen to take the border issue to the ICJ, in both cases, the ruling was clear and in favor of Cambodia. 

As Cambodia is set to bring the cases of the Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Toch, Ta Krabei, and Mom Bei areas to this United Nations’ court, the Thai government announced that Thailand would no longer recognize the court’s authority. No doubt because if the court’s authority is recognized, a decision of the court cannot be negotiated and must be accepted, Darc said. 

“What Thailand fears is not the map: It’s the precedent,” Darc wrote in his post. “Because if the ICJ rules again in Cambodia’s favor, the pressure to comply will grow.”