The Cambodian public is maintaining a boycott of Thai businesses even if the country’s economy is reeling from the global fuel crisis
3-MIN READ3-MINAidan JonesPublished: 8:00am, 23 Apr 2026Plastic bags stuffed with rotting chicken from a smugglers’ boat washed ashore in Thailand have hinted at shortages inside Cambodia, as formal trade between the neighbours collapses due to the border conflict and illicit cargo flows surge instead.While demand appears high for smuggled Thai oil, fruit, meat and consumer items like soap, the Cambodian public is maintaining a boycott of Thai businesses in a nationalist kickback that reveals the depth of the enmity now staining relations between the neighbours and erstwhile trading partners.
A fragile ceasefire has just about held but the land border remains closed despite recent overtures from Cambodia to reopen it.
With both nations pinched by the global fuel crisis, Thai authorities say sea smuggling, including fuel, has spiked, prompting more naval patrols.
