Samdech Techo Hun Sen Calls on Cambodians to Strengthen Use of the Riel and End Reliance on Thai Baht

Samdech Techo Hun Sen Calls on Cambodians to Strengthen Use of the Riel and End Reliance on Thai Baht

Phnom Penh, October 8, 2025 – Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia, has issued a renewed appeal to the Cambodian people to promote the use of the national currency, the Riel, and to reduce dependence on the Thai Baht, which he warned could become a national vulnerability if left unchecked.

In a public message posted on his official Facebook page on late Wednesday evening, Samdech Techo expressed appreciation for the swift response of Cambodian citizens, particularly those living along the border in Poipet, Banteay Meanchey Province, who began exchanging Thai Baht for Riel within two hours after his initial message on October 6, 2025.

“It is a good thing that Cambodian citizens are using the Riel on their own soil, helping to avoid financial losses and preventing the Riel from becoming a national vulnerability when foreign currencies are used as political tools,” he said.

Samdech Techo also noted that some Cambodian workers in Thailand have recently been unable to withdraw their earnings from Thai banks, describing this as clear evidence of how the Thai Baht has begun to harm Cambodians who work and live in Thailand.

He cautioned that if Cambodians inside the country continue to spend and save in Baht, they too may face similar harm in the future.

“The Baht that is harming our compatriots in Thailand today will one day harm Cambodians inside Cambodia if we continue to depend on it,” he warned.

Samdech Techo further appealed to all Cambodians involved in currency exchange to maintain fairness and integrity by trading at market rates. He urged them not to exploit the situation by devaluing the Baht or inflating the Riel, which could cause unnecessary financial losses to ordinary citizens.

In his message, Samdech Techo also called on the public to immediately cease quoting wages, product prices, or service charges in Thai Baht, and instead use Riel or U.S. dollars—preferably Riel—to strengthen the national currency.

“If you truly love your country, keep banknotes bearing the image of our King Father, Queen Mother, and His Majesty the King in your wallets, pockets, or purses, rather than the banknotes of a foreign king who sees us as enemies and treats us with contempt,” he remarked.

Samdech Techo also urged the Royal Government and competent authorities to take firm action against any officials or traders who continue to smuggle Thai goods into Cambodia while the border remains officially closed. Such acts, he said, diminish the nation’s dignity and make neighbors look down on Cambodia as being unable to live without imported goods.

Concluding his statement, Samdech Techo reminded those in positions of responsibility not to take advantage of his current role as an elder statesman to act irresponsibly.

“If I were still Prime Minister as I once was, I wouldn’t need to speak in such language. I would simply issue orders for arrests or removals from office. But please don’t think that ‘when the cat’s away, the mice will play,’” he cautioned.

Samdech Techo’s message reflects a strong call for national unity, financial self-reliance, and the preservation of Cambodia’s economic sovereignty through the wider use of the Riel across all levels of society.