Addressing critics of his diplomatic approach to the Vietnam border issue, Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday made a public call for evidence of land encroachment and proposals for its solution.
Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party are under renewed pressure to resolve long-standing disputed border areas with Vietnam, where opposition activists and villagers say encroachment has meant the loss of Cambodian land.
Speaking at the inauguration of a Chinese-funded bridge in Kandal province, Hun Sen called on critics to provide maps and evidence of such encroachment.
The speech comes after a failed bid by members of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party to push Hun Sen to file a complaint with the International Court of Justice, as a means of resolving the border question. It also comes in the wake of a border clash between opposition activists and Vietnamese border security in June.
