Cambodians Stop Buying Thai Products
Thai soldiers have been placed at the Keo Sekha Kiri Svarak pogada (called Preah Vihear pagoda) of Cambodia since 15 July 2008. This has made military confrontation and border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand. Cambodia alleged Thailand invading Cambodia’s territory. The conflict between Cambodia and Thailand has been made many years in a long history. Conflict in 2003 had made Cambodians stop buying Thai products, and now Cambodians are doing the same, by stop buying Thai products.
In recent days, I got many and many sms from my friends, not only in Phnom Penh, but also from other provinces. It is the forward sms from one to another phone. In general, the content in the sms is Khmer love Khmer, Khmer help Khmer, try to cut off using and stop using Thai products or any product print(ed) in Thai language. We should not let this fucking nation look down our Khmer any more. If you are Khmer or having Khmer blood, please pass this SMS to your Khmer friends Down with fucking Thai.
That is not surprise which people of a nation call for stop using any product of another nation. It is not wrong with free trade or with requirements of international trade, or World Trade Organization, or ASEAN Free Trade Area. But the most important thing which we may to think of is the matter of supply and demand and the matter of cost and benefits from such movement.
If we do not use Thai products, it is to assure that we can have substitute products for our local consumption. The substitute products shall focus on quantity, quality, and price. I am wondering if this could help foster local production, locally made products to satisfy local consumption.
I have noticed that the movement of not consuming Thai products in 2003 was just a short moment of time, showing a reaction of Cambodians toward Thais. Will this call be long time? According the sms message, it seems that it is a boycott of all types of Thai products. If so, will Cambodia gain or will Thailand loss? I am not sure about this as I do not have trade figure in my hand nor having specialization to analyze this matter.
As I know, Myanmar people had stop using Thai products as well. I do not know how is the effect of this nationalism movement on the trade and economy of Myanmar? If this is to apply in Cambodia, how is effect? Is it a trade off between nationalism and trade development? These are information I had and I would like to share with you, if you may have comments on this subject. I am looking forward to hearing from you all.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:36
I guess I shall be the first to comment on your new post again. Since I discovered your site, I am impressed by the many good posts about our country that you have here. Keep up the good work.
As for boycotting Thai products, I think it’s a good idea for many reasons. Cambodia, due to our underdeveloped manufacturing sector, has always relied on goods produced and made in neighboring countries, Thailand and Vietnam, for example. I used the term ‘underdeveloped’ instead of ‘weak’ because as a nation we have the capacity to become self-sufficient in terms of manufacturing our own housewhole supplies and producing food stuff, like we had in the 60’s.
If our people are determined enough to do away with using Thai produced goods, then it would encourage local production of goods that we already have the capacity to produce but failed to because of fierce competition coming from untaxed Thai and Vietnamese products. To sustain our local economy, it is imperative that Khmers buy Khmer products, even if it means a little more expensive, because that money will stay in the hand of your people, and not in the Thais and Vietnames’ hands. For example the milling of rice, if we have the vision to develope infrastructure to support it, we could easily earn million, if not billions, on our crops, which the Thais and Vietnamese companies are now cashing in on and cheating our farmers out of their labor by purchasing unmilled grain at 1/5 the market value of milled grain and later sell it at market value overseas. Another example is I have a friend whose family used to raise chickens for eggs but decided not to continue because his family cannot compete with cheap eggs coming from Vietnam. There are thousands of cases similar to them. Without developing our own industries, our culture of dependency on foreign products will continue, and our hard earned money, likewise, will continue to flow out of the country and into the hands of rich Thai and Vietnamese businessmen.
I am proud to say that I have always tried my very best to buy Khmer, because I know my money goes a long way to encourage continued Khmer productivity, creativity, and invovation.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:36
After 2003 Thai Embassy Story, I can see one Long-Term and Successful boycott on Thai Movies and Cultural Flow on Cambodian TV. Bravo on this case, agree with me? have Cambodian had problem with supply and demand on (Thai) film? cost and benefit from Thai cultural effects on Cambodian brain? Cambodian’s gain OR Thai’s Loss for this specific product/service I am talking?
Sothy, you are doing well on this blog, double thumbs up for you.
–your friend working in the Gulf
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July 25th, 2008 at 11:36
Boycott Thai products is not enough. We should not allow any international planes or any automobiles to go straight to Siem Riem. All the tourists spend, eat and sleep in Bangkok or other neighbouring countries and just come to sight seeing and shit in Siem Riep during day time.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:36
Boycotting has nothing to do with the flow of tourists coming through Thailand. These are two different issues. Unless we chose to close our borders, tourists will keep flowing in, regardless wether we buy Thai goods or not.