A screenshot of a livestream of the Cambodian diaspora protesting the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA) project in South Korea on August 11. Sokhem Sor via social media
Opposition to the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA) project continues to grow abroad, with protests by Khmer citizens in South Korea and Australia on Sunday, August 11.
The protesters are demanding that the government withdraw from the CLV-DTA initiative, while agitators have called for actions similar to those in Bangladesh, where mass protests led to the downfall of the country’s leaders, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
The government has repeatedly reassured concerned citizens that participation in the cooperative effort will not result in Cambodia losing territory to Vietnam or allowing free movement of Vietnamese citizens into Cambodia.
Today, August 12, Senate president Hun Sen reiterated that the country will not withdraw from the CLV project and advised against any attempts to destabilise the government. He stated that some individuals have drawn parallels between events in Bangladesh and the situation in Cambodia, but he warned, "Try it if you can. If you consider yourself strong, go ahead and try".
Opposition to the CLV-DTA has already led to some arrests. Hun Sen clarified today that those involved who have not yet been arrested could receive amnesty if they distance themselves from the opposition and leave the "United for the Nation" Telegram group.
Hun Sen, a key figure in initiating the CLV-DTA concept in 1999, explained once again that the initiative is not about joint development, but simply cooperation.
Responding to the call for Cambodia to withdraw from the project and build a border fence with Vietnam, he firmly stated that Cambodia cannot withdraw from the project and that a border fence is not a solution for territorial protection.
"We are not conducting joint development because the government has no right to hand over Khmer land to any other country. We have no intention to create an autonomous region by combining parts of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam into one entity," he said. "Cambodia is governed by Cambodians, Vietnam by the Vietnamese and Laos by the Laotians."
Hun Sen continued, "You’ve suggested we withdraw from the CLV project, but I ask you: where would we dispose of what we’ve invested for development? Where would we place this land – these four provinces? On the moon or somewhere else? That’s not possible. We must develop within our own territory. We must invest in ourselves and seek our own development partners."
He further explained that the three parties involved should cooperate in areas like trade, investment, tourism, transportation and connectivity, including transportation systems and electricity grids. Over the past 25 years, development in the region has been evident, and this regional development is a key pillar for national defense.
Hun Sen also emphasised the growth in trade between Cambodia and Vietnan, including the notable export of over 700,000 tonnes of Cambodian cashew nuts to Vietnam each year.
"I understand that people are concerned about territorial issues due to our history of losing large tracts of land. We acknowledge that we lost Kampuchea Krom due to French colonisation, not because any Khmer king ceded it, but because we were under their control. At that time, and during the loss of Cochinchina and Koh Tral, I wasn’t even born yet," he said.
The Senate president asserted that his actions are aimed at protecting these lands. He believes that bringing up this issue now is being done to provoke those who love the land into crossing the “red line” of freedom.
Regarding the idea of building a border fence, he said it would be impractical, noting that no country in the world has entirely fenced its borders, only in limited areas like the North-South Korean border, the US-Mexico border and a few other countries.
He reminded citizens not to overstep the boundaries of the law due to outside agitation.
"Our fellow citizens should not be deceived while living here. I simply urge you not to cross the ‘red line’ and engage in actions that could lead to government overthrow as some recent unlawful agitators have called for, which would force the government to take necessary measures to prevent anarchy and social disorder," he stated.
"We have no choice. The only option left is to protect peace, political stability and the lives of our people. We will do whatever it takes, at any cost, to ensure our people live in peace, with political stability, while we build an economy affected by external factors," he concluded.
