Critics of the government’s border demarcation policy with Vietnam should bring comfortable chairs to the National Assembly on Thursday, because Prime Minister Hun Sen plans to give a four-hour speech on the subject.

And according to the opposition, he won’t be taking questions.Tensions over perceived encroachment from Vietnam flared anew on June 17 when the govern-ment announced it would cede two unspecified villages to its eastern neighbour.

In response, SRP lawmaker Son Chhay wrote a letter to National Assembly President Heng Samrin, inviting Prime Minister Hun Sen to answer questions related to the plan.

And in a speech at the National Institute of Education last week, Hun Sen accepted the challenge.

“I asked for four hours to address the issue of border demarcation,” he said, adding that he could spend seven hours talking about it if necessary.

Cambodian independent analyst Lao Mong Hay said yesterday that the Constitution requires the premier or his representative to attend the National Assembly once a week and answer questions put forth by parliamentarians.

“Since 1993, I found that the premier attended for Q&A less than 10 times,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Vong Sokheng at [email protected]