The Royal Government Spokesperson Unit has reiterated that four Cambodian provinces will not be lost to Vietnam through the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV DTA). Widespread speculation that this may occur has circulated on social media, with four people arrested and charged with incitement in recent days.

A statement from the unit released today confirmed that the four provinces – Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Kratie –will not be ceded to Vietnam, as alleged by some people.

“The provinces will not be shared with neighbouring countries through the CLV DTA and formed into one territory, as claimed misconceived by some deluded people,” it said.

For the past week, there have been passionate discussions about the subject on Facebook, with some residents expressing concerns about a possible loss of territory through the CLV DTA cooperation, which was first initiated in 1999. Other people expressed fears about the potential loss of natural resources in the four provinces which are part of the development triangle.

“There is no sharing of natural resources such as minerals or forest resources in these provinces. In addition, the residents of the three countries are not allowed to cross borders or travel freely throughout the area,” it clarified.

The statement explained that the CLV DTA was established only within the framework of the authorities of the three countries. It is intended to benefit the economies, infrastructure, healthcare, education and security of the areas within the triangle, as well as support disaster management.

“The government is firmly committed to leading the country towards strong socio-economic development and maintaining political stability, both domestically and internationally. It will ensure that absolute independence, sovereignty, nationalism and territorial integrity are protected at all costs,” it said.

Senate president Hun Sen, who was involved in the CLV DTA initiative during his time as prime minister, issued a video on Tuesday which explained the cooperation at length.

He said the three countries control the sovereignty of their respective territories without violating one another and that the agreement is not about incorporating new territories.

Some commentary on the CLV DTA was considered “slanderous” by the government, with four people arrested in the past few days. The arrested include Srun Sron, who is a well-known scholar of the Paris Peace Agreements, as well as Sophea Pheung, who was also taken into custody. The other two men were identified as Chak Panmony and San Sith.

They were charged on July 24 with “incitement to commit offenses" under articles 494 and 495 of the Penal Code, according to a statement from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

The statement said the four posted live videos on Srun Sron’s Facebook page, and shared content on their individual accounts. 

Their comments about the CLV-DTA included “slanderous character attacks and the fabrication of false information, made with malicious intent, with the goal of inciting people to become angry with government leaders”, said the court, which added that their actions caused serious national security concerns.

“After questioning the four suspects and examining the evidence, the investigating judge ordered the four to be detained in pre-trial custody. The court and prosecutor’s office of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court will continue to strictly enforce the law in any cases where activities are conducted with malicious intent to provoke serious social unrest,” explained that statement.

According to Article 495 of the Criminal Code, the charges are punishable by a sentence of up to two years in prison.