Don't mix Coke and politics, Cambodian government urges as rapper's fans call for boycott

Coca-Cola accused of cancelling contract with musician VannDa following his criticism of Thai army's invasion

- Nga Pham

In the days after the recent border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia erupted into conflict, one of Cambodia's biggest stars, the rapper VannDa, was at the forefront of his country's campaign to rally supporters to the national cause.

He was one of the first celebrities to post on Facebook, Cambodia's most popular social media platform, under the hashtag #ThailandStartedTheWar. A post in English on 28 July urging “justice for Cambodia” had 20m views.

VannDa openly criticised the Thai army for its invasion of Cambodia, and in his latest song explained he sang in English in the hope that “the world will feel our pain”, after clashes left dozens dead and more than 300,000 civilians displaced on both sides.

VannDa's activism, however, has come at a cost: the artist's contract as Cambodia's brand ambassador for Coca-Cola was reportedly cancelled by the soft drink giant for having violated a clause prohibiting ambassadors from making political statements.

This sparked calls on Cambodian social media for a boycott of Coca-Cola, which in turn caused problems of its own. Cambodia's government is wary of provoking the US after initially being hit by Donald Trump with a 49% tariff on exports.