PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced that Cambodians will not have to purchase tickets for the SEA Games, neither for the opening and closing ceremonies nor for access to the games. The Prime Minister’s remarks were in response to complaints being made about high ticket prices advertised in a now-disputed post made on the official 2023 Sea Games page. The Prime Minister emphasized that the event is one of national pride and that Cambodians will not have to pay to participate in it.

In a special audio message released on the evening of 30 March 2023, the Prime Minister stated that he was surprised that SEA Games officials could overlook such a thing and announced that he was looking for whoever was responsible for releasing false information.

"I did not think our officials would overlook this issue. This is my first complaint since we decided to host the SEA Games,” he added, “This is not Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh’s fault."

Tea Banh is the chairman of the Cambodian SEA Games Organizing Committee (CAMSOC). The Prime Minister finished by saying that the government already spent the hundreds of millions of dollars to fund this event and that it will not be seeking reimbursement from the Cambodian people.