On August 18, Senate President Hun Sen called for a measured response to discussion of a Coca-Cola boycott in Cambodia.
Reports that Coca-Cola had ended its advertising partnership with Cambodian rapper VannDa sparked calls for a boycott. Hun Sen urged the public to determine whether politics or another factor was behind the reported decision.
He said treating the company as an adversary could hurt Cambodia. Coca-Cola products are made locally and support Cambodian jobs, incomes and tax revenues, he said. If the company withdrew, Cambodia would bear the losses and Thailand would benefit, he argued. He distinguished between imports from Thailand and products made in Cambodia.
Hun Sen warned that calls for confrontation with the United States could affect Cambodia’s diplomacy, trade and investment. He said Cambodia should also protect investment from Thailand that creates local jobs or otherwise benefits Cambodia.
He asked VannDa to remain patient and put national interests first regardless of why the partnership reportedly ended. He described VannDa’s experience as a sacrifice for Cambodia.
Compiled by KPS99TV
