Three people have been arrested in connection with what Senate president Hun Sen described as "slanderous" remarks against the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA), which has been hotly debated on social media in recent days.

Former prime minister Hun Sen, in a special address this afternoon, stated that the CLV-DTA is an initiative to maintain economic, social and national security, with each party controlling its own territory. The cooperation, initiated in 1999, aims to foster growth and stability.

He stressed that the collaboration has nothing to do with territorial integration but is solely for mutual growth. The Cambodian provinces involved in development area include Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Kratie provinces. Laos and Vietnam also include several of their provinces in the framework.

"The inclusion of these provinces in the [CLV-DTA] is not about creating a new country or federation, as alleged. I would like to announce that we have already arrested three people. One was arrested yesterday in Siem Reap and two more today, also in Siem Reap. One of them is a teacher of the Paris Peace Agreement, who posted slanderous remarks on TikTok. We cannot let them remain free,” he said.

In recent days, there have been numerous comments on social media by Cambodian citizens expressing differing views on the development in the area, with some fearing the loss of four of the country’s provinces.

Hun Sen stated that the development cooperation aims to jointly prevent crimes such as human trafficking and illegal timber exports, as well as other illicit activities. In addition, he said it facilitates access to medical treatment in Vietnam for Cambodians and aids in disaster prevention, such as floods and wildfires.

He urged those with questions about the cooperation and related agreements to do research at the Ministry of Commerce, which will release all relevant agreements to the public.