Border issues

Cambodia's Human Rights Party said it will boycott a National Assembly meeting today regarding a draft law on the demarcation of boundaries between Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. A Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker said yesterday they could face having their salaries docked for the boycott.

The HRP issued a statement on Tuesday which said the reason for the boycott was because they had received complaints from residents living along the border who said the revision of border demarcation posts would cause them to lose farmland to Vietnam and Laos. The Sam Rainsy Party said that it would attend the National Assembly meeting but emphasised that it will not vote to support the draft law because they have received similar complaints from residents.

“The participation in the meeting does not mean that [we] support the government,” SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said.

Cheam Yeap, senior lawmaker for the ruling CPP, said yesterday: “This is historic work and it is necessary that we must have boundary posts, to avoid accusing them of invading our land.”

Cheam Yeap also said that he would ask National Assembly President Heng Samrin to dock their salaries of HRP if they boycotted. He declined to say how much.