Cambodia withdraws from regional development pact amid protests
- In Reports
- 07:13 PM, Sep 21, 2024
- Myind Staff
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced that Cambodia is withdrawing from a development agreement with Vietnam and Laos due to protests claiming it favoured foreign interests. Critics on social media highlighted concerns about land concessions near the border with Vietnam, a sensitive topic because of Cambodia's historical tensions with its larger neighbour.
Authorities arrested at least 66 people before a planned rally in August to oppose the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA). Most were later released, but some leaders are still facing charges. The CLV-DTA agreement, established in 2004, aimed to promote trade and migration in four northeastern provinces of Cambodia and nearby areas in Laos and Vietnam.
Hun Manet termed organisations opposing the agreement as extremists and claimed they were misrepresenting the situation, attacking the government, and misleading the public. “For instance, allegations that the government ceded the territory of the four northeastern provinces to foreign countries, etc,” he wrote in a post late Friday.
He claimed that although Cambodia had made significant progress toward the development of the four provinces over the previous 25 years, his government had chosen to withdraw from the agreement adding, “taking into account people’s concern on territory and the need to withdraw weapons out of the hands of extremists to prevent them from using CLV-DTA to further cheat people.”
Cambodia's government has often been accused of silencing critics and political opponents. Last year, Hun Manet took over from his father, Hun Sen, who ruled for 4 decades. However, there are hardly any signs of political liberalisation.
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