(Phnom Penh) On the evening of 8 October 2025, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen addressed fellow citizens about holding Cambodian riel to strengthen the national currency. He said those who love their country should keep notes bearing the portraits of the Father King, Queen Mother and King in their cabinets, wallets or pockets, rather than notes bearing the portrait of a foreign king whose country, he said, regards Cambodia as an enemy and insults and looks down on it.
Hun Sen’s social-media message read in full as follows:
I received reports that people holding Thai baht in border areas, particularly Poipet in Banteay Meanchey province, began exchanging it for riel about two hours after I posted my message on 6 October 2025.
It is good for Cambodians to use riel on their own territory to avoid losses and prevent a national vulnerability when others use currency as a political weapon. I have learned that some Cambodians working and doing business in Thailand cannot withdraw money from banks there.
This shows that Thai baht is already ‘killing’ Cambodians working and doing business in Thailand. In future, it will also ‘kill’ those Cambodians on Cambodian territory who continue spending and holding baht.
But my appeal to people in the currency-exchange business is to exchange at market rates. Do not seek excessive profits by lowering the baht’s value and raising the riel’s, causing losses to those who need to exchange money.
I also want to tell fellow citizens that, from now on, wages, goods and service charges should no longer be set in Thai baht. Use riel or U.S. dollars instead—preferably riel—to strengthen the national currency.
If you love your country, keep notes bearing the portraits of our Father King, Queen Mother and King in your cabinets, wallets or pockets, rather than the portrait of a foreign king whose country treats us as enemies and insults and looks down on us.
I ask the Royal Government and authorities at all levels to root out officials and traders who continue smuggling Thai goods in while the border is still closed, causing our neighbour to look down on us and believe we cannot do without their goods. If I were still prime minister as before, I would not need to speak like this; I would directly order arrests or removal from office. But do not think that when the cat is away, the mice can rule.
Edited by: ចិន្តា ទីទិ
