Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Border Affairs has requested clarification from Alphabet Inc, the parent company of tech giant Google, after the discovery that the Cambodian Island “Koh Ach Seh” is labelled as Vietnamese territory in the company’s popular Google Maps application.

The move came after social media users posing the question: If Koh Ach Seh belongs to Cambodia, why does Google say it belongs to Vietnam?

The secretariat explained that Koh Ach Seh is part of Kep province’s Kep town and commune. 

Currently, it is home to a maritime border defence police administration facility, known as the “Koh Ach Seh Police Administration”. 

Officials are stationed there, and tourists regularly visit the island.

“The border secretariat wishes to inform the public that Google Maps is not an official cartographer, and does not demarcate borders between states. This map was created for their trade purposes only,” said the secretariat.

“We will work with Google to resolve this issue,” it added.

The secretariat called on members of the public to share its clarification widely, so as to avoid confusion.