Commentary
By Sam Sotha
Is it the question of lost territory or political gain?
{The comments in this article are solely the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Government of Cambodia}
Phnom Penh, August 24, 2012
At his address to the National Assembly on August 9, 2012 in response to the obsessive inquiries made by some delusional opposition parliamentarians, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen made it clear that Cambodia had not lost any land to neighboring Vietnam.
The opposition parties raised their banner of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity to induce ultra-nationalist sentiments in order to attract more voters. These tactics are often seen in many developing countries particularly those who emerge from the colonial era. To this end, in Cambodia, the blame has always been put on the government led by Prime Minister Hun Sen of having ceded much of Cambodian territory to neighboring Vietnam.
What is the fact?
Let us start from the year of political settlement 1991 to end the Cambodian conflicts and civil war. Under the auspices of the United Nations, the governments from eighteen countries signed the peace agreements to end more than two decades of wars. Those countries include the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (China, France, Russia, UK and the US) and Vietnam. The Article 1 of the Paris agreement concerning the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability… stipulated that “Cambodia hereby solemnly undertakes to maintain, preserve and defend its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability…”
In fact, there is no doubt that Cambodia has made tremendous efforts, on one hand to implement the requirements as stipulated in the Agreements including rehabilitation and reconstruction of Cambodia, and on the other hand to negotiate with neighbors, particularly with Vietnam to re-examining and re-verifying the 1933-1953 frontier line maps.
In 2005 Cambodia and Vietnam agreed to establish a joint body to enhance the demarcation and border markers planting process in order to settle the existing disputed areas.
One should recall the fact of the history and with respect to the international binding character of 1933-1953 maps that in 1964, His Majesty The King Norodom Sihanouk deposited “the Map” with the scale of 1/100, 000 at the United Nations. The map was made between 1933 and 1953 when Cambodia and Vietnam were under French protectorate. Thus, we shall apply the principle of “Uti possidetis”, the principle of an international law that when a colony gains independence, the colonial boundaries are accepted as the boundaries of a newly independent state; or that the territory remains with its possessor at the end of a conflict, unless otherwise provided for by treaty.
As one of the signatories to the Paris Peace Agreements, Vietnam continues to recognize the map which covered the area of 181,035 square kilometers. “On the whole, it would be an equal exchange between Cambodia and Vietnam, hectare for hectare; the villages where the villagers of both countries have already long been settled”, the Prime Minister stressed. He added that several survey systems which used different scales found that the current area of Cambodia could range between 181,606 and 181,312 square kilometers. This figure does not include yet the areas surrounding the 64 islands.
However, the Prime Minister said he leaves the responsibilities to the Cambodia-Vietnam Joint Border Committee to continue border demarcation and markers planting. At this point, we shall also remind ourselves that we still have annoyance issue on the Western border areas as well. Cambodia and Thailand have established a Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary. But the Prime Minister insisted that “Cambodia under his leadership will never cede even one millimeter of her territory to any neighbor.”
It should be exactly 21 years October 2012 since the Paris Peace Agreements were signed. Obviously, all participating countries have witnessed the utmost endeavor accomplished by Cambodia, and the respect of both countries concerning the sovereignty and territorial integrity and of course inviolability which firmly observed by both, Cambodia and Vietnam.
There is no doubt that the world has seen the efforts of both countries undergoing the spirit of mutual concession and benefit, and non-use of coercion; the negotiation of which concludes with mutually acceptable compromise. Before long, Cambodia and Vietnam will have a permanent and uncontested frontier line border together! The two neighbors will live forever peacefully together!
Genuine peace and democracy loving people will not stoop to instigating hatred and anger. To destabilize a democratically elected government is not a fair game. Let’s entrust the government to do their job, giving them a realistic and practicable timeframe and resources to attain the reality and complete their works. To attain a lasting peace and live in harmony together with our neighbors, one needs to draw the boundary line; so help the countryside villagers especially the one who are currently living in the eastern border areas to live with harmony together with their neighbors across the recognized border line. Let us leave the border areas to develop instead of stirring up tension.
Hence, the scenario orchestrated by the opponents to the CPP led government of Prime Minister Hun Sen will definitively vanish for the Cambodian people from all walks of life, through his lengthy explanation and clear interpretation in the Parliament, realized that the real nature of the opposition tactics is not the question of lost territory, but the question of political gain!
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Contributing editor: Sok Sath, former Cambodian ambassador to India
Sam Sotha is former Ambassador to Mine Action, Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), Cluster Munitions and Disarmament. He is the author of a book “In the Shade of a Quiet Killing Place”, his personal memoirs. About the book, go to www.heavenlakepress.com