Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, has announced that dirty or slightly-damaged U.S. dollar banknotes are accepted throughout the country from now on without any charges to facilitate the spending of tourists.

At a get-together and solidarity dinner with the Cambodia Oknha Association and the Housing Development Association of Cambodia held in Phnom Penh this evening, Samdech Thipadei Prime Minister said that the acceptance of slightly broken, old, ripped or stained dollar bills was first piloted in Siem Reap province, but now the National Bank will issue a principle to accept the exchange of those bills across the country.

‘This issue looks small, but can affect tourism as a whole,’ he stressed. ‘At the same time, we need to be careful so that Cambodia will not become a place for exchanging dirty, torn and old U.S. dollar banknotes.’

Anyway, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet took the opportunity to once again encourage the use of the Riel, the national currency, r
ather than the U.S. dollar.

According to the Premier, he got the complaint about the issue of dirty or slightly-damaged U.S. dollar bills during his impersonation to visit the Pub Street – a nightlife area in Siem Reap on July 17, 2024.

Even though Riel is the national currency of Cambodia, the U.S. dollar is widely used in the country except in some rural areas. The exchange rate is 1 U.S. dollar for around 4,000 Riel.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse