Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Var Kim Hong Says Border Marker Planting Will Start in September

Article posted in Khmer on Everyday.com.kh
03 June 2006

Translated from Khmer

On 2 June, Var Kim Hong, chairman of the Cambodian Government Border Committee, said it was decided at a meeting held by the Cambodian and Vietnamese sides in Hanoi between 29 May and 1 June that the "planning of markers along the two countries' shared border would begin in September." This is according an unattributed report, excerpted from the pro-Cambodian People's Party Phnom Penh Cambodian daily newspaper Koh Santepheap, published in the Cambodian edition of the Internet portal maintained by the MobiTel Phone Company Phnom Penh Everyday.com.kh on 3 June. The "planting of about 350 border markers will begin from a point at the Bavet international checkpoint [in Cambodian Svay Rieng Province]," he added.

Informed sources in the Cambodian People's Party [CPP] disclosed that Var Kim Hong held the meeting with "Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung," focusing on the "technical issues" regarding the planting and on the "number of markers" that had already been agreed upon, the report adds.

As for Khieu Kanharit, information minister and Cambodian government spokesman, the report says, he, too, mentioned that the "border marker planting will begin in September in accordance with the two countries' procedures, in which we rely on the well-established legal basis and the customs."

Keo Remi, MP of the Sam Rainsy Party [SRP], said he had asked Var Kim Hong’s Border Committee to "increase the number of its staff to visit the border or before the planting, because it had been heard that previously the government border committee had inspected the border quietly," the report adds. He also said, "We want the clear participation of technical staff and losses to be avoided. But if we are not careful, it may cause losses this time."

Observers indicated that they "welcomed the marker planting process, for the border could not be left in such an uncertain situation any longer," the report says. They "criticized the political exploitation of the border issue" that had created problems in the past. Actually, they added, all should be "happy with the border marker planting" and that "critics should wait and see what happened to the process first."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Vietcong can have their wish to claim every square inch of Cambodian land but the GPS technology will verify if their wish come true!

If one square inch of Cambodian land is lost AH SVA KIM HONG will live in fear for the rest of his miserable life!