In a surprising move, Cambodia’s strongman Hun Sen has expressed disappointment over a viral video showing a Cambodian group burning Thai goods.
On his Facebook page, Hun Sen asked them to stop what he called “the foolish activities immediately.”
He wrote that he just watched an eight-minute video clip of a group related to the boycotting of Thai goods.
“I am really disappointed by the inappropriate actions of these brothers… Burning Thai goods, cursing the sellers of Thai goods who have not sold out, is an act beyond patriotism and an extreme form of fanaticism,” according to Hun Sen.
Hun Sen had encouraged the Cambodians to boycott Thai goods, in protest against the Thai military’s closures of shared checkpoints.
Now, the Cambodian traders have leftover Thai goods, Hun Sen said, where should they take them? Burn them or continue to sell them to make money?”
Hun Sen said, if the group that burnt the Thai goods has money, “please buy these leftover goods to feed animals, rather than burning them like the group did in the video. If people don’t eat them, it’s better to let them go to the animals.”
On his Facebook page, Hun Sen shared photos from a video clip of the group led by Van Saray, an activist who had previously strongly supported him.
