Border Row

A coalition of local civil society organisations has slammed the government’s confrontational stance towards opposition leader Sam Rainsy, defending his allegations about Vietnamese territorial encroachments. In a statement on Tuesday, the Cambodia Watchdog Council (CWC) said government officials continue to ignore all concerns relating to the country’s eastern frontier. “CWC notes that both the Cambodian Border Committee and government leaders have never received the concerns of civil society and political parties about the loss of land because of invasions from neighbouring countries,” the statement read. On Monday, Var Kimhong, Cambodia’s chief border negotiator, told reporters that Sam Rainsy could face charges of falsifying public documents to support his claim that border markers have been posted inside Cambodian territory in Svay Rieng province.Tith Sothea, a member of the Council of Ministers’ Press Quick Reaction Unit, dismissed the CWC’s statement, saying that the government border demarcation had taken place within a legal framework.