Political aspirant and founder of the “social network” Khmer for Khmer Kem Ley said yesterday that he will send a letter to King Norodom Sihamoni after “confirming” the presence of a canal dug by Vietnamese authorities inside Cambodian territory.

Ley claimed on Friday via his Facebook page that the canal, which stretches from Svay Rieng province’s Svay Chrum district to the town of Neak Loeung in Prey Veng province, has been around since the 1980s.

“We will write a letter to [the] King . . . because the King’s role is to guarantee territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he said yesterday.

Prey Veng provincial governor Has Sareth, meanwhile, mocked Ley yesterday, saying the analyst likely was rusty on his geography, given that Neak Loeung is only about 75 kilometres outside of Phnom Penh.

But Sum Mara, an opposition council member in Svay Chrum, said there was a canal, adding that some portions of it are used as a border line.

“In some places, Vietnam allows [people] to pump water, while in some places Vietnam does not allow [people] to pump water,” he said.