A Change of Guard

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Tuesday 30 October 2007

Cambodia-Vietnam Agreed On Border Demarcations

It is nice to see the Cambodian and Vietnamese authorities discussing about border issues. The border issues will be a sticking point in future relations with the non-CPP government in Cambodia, so Vietnam must resolve it before some other non-CPP leaders taking the rein in Cambodia.

But what worries me, and to a lot of my fellow Cambodians, is whether the border demarcations with Vietnam will benefit Cambodia or at least maintain the status quo of our present land size. From past experiences with our neighbours, especially with Vietnam, any land and border settlements always see us concede, or even secede, large portions of our territories. These border demarcations will be no difference.

The border demarcations between the two countries had been established since before the French left Indochina in 1953-54 and during the Sangkum Reastr Niyum and the Khmer Republic, to some extent, Cambodia and Vietnam never had any border disputes with each other. No violations, no encroachments. The villagers live a long side each other a long the borders peacefully and cordially. I hope these border demarcation agreements will not disadvantage Cambodia to the benefits of Vietnam territorially. The Cambodian government must do everything to make sure that we do not concede and secede one centimentre of land to Vietnam.

Any border settlements must be concluded in regard to the Cambodian territorial integrity and sovereignty. They must conform with international laws. And they must be based on the 1968 maps that the Cambodian governments kept in the United Nations. Any other maps used in the settlements would see Cambodia short changed.


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Viet Nam, Cambodia boost joint border marking efforts

(29-10-2007)

HA NOI — Viet Nam and Cambodia agreed on more than 50 sites for establishing border demarcations between the two countries at a series of meeting held in Phnom Penh from October 22 to 27.

The two sides also agreed on criteria for determining landmark positions during the third session of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Joint Committee for Land Border Demarcation and Landmark Planting. The criteria will serve as the legal and technical guidelines for border demarcation teams to follow.

The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Nguyen Hong Thao, vice chairman of the National Border Committee, while the Cambodian delegation was headed by Huon Savang, deputy director of the Secretariat of the Ministers’ Council’s National Agency for Border Issues.

Discussing waterways

Officials from the Vietnamese and Cambodian transport sectors discussed how to increase co-operation in waterway transport, including ship transport from other countries to Cambodia via Viet Nam, during a meeting in Phnom Penh on Thursday.

The two sides agreed to work together in accelerating waterway transport activities, particularly on Cambodia’s Tonle Bassac, a tributary of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers.

Cambodia and Viet Nam will next discuss the easing of checkpoints on the two countries’ rivers and plans to open more local ports to raise loading capacity.

In 1998, the two countries signed an agreement on waterway transport, however, it has not been fully implemented yet because of late approval by the Cambodian National Assembly. Consequently, waterway transport activities between the two countries are limited to the Mekong River and transport to Cambodia by third-country ships via Viet Nam remains unavailable. — VNS

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