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Cambodia's ruling, opposition vice-presidents discuss border issue, arrests

Xinhua, August 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sar Kheng, vice-president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), met with Kem Sokha, vice-president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party ( CNRP) on Monday evening and discussed recent imprisonment of 14 CNRP activists over insurrection charges and border issue.

The meeting was made at the request of Kem Sokha after a court, on July 21, sentenced 11 CNRP activists to between seven and 20 years in prison for the charges of either leading or joining an insurrection during a violent protest in July last year near Phnom Penh's Freedom Park. Another three CNRP activists were arrested over the same charges last week and sent to Prey Sar prison to await trial.

Speaking to a joint press conference after the talks, CPP's spokesman Sak Setha said the two deputy leaders mainly discussed the recent imprisonment of CNRP activists and border issue with Vietnam. "The two (deputy) leaders agreed that border issue is not a separate issue for any political parties, but a collective issue for the nation, so they called on other political parties, non- governmental organizations and stakeholders to work together to solve this issue in high spirit for the sake of the nation,"he said.

In regard to the recent sentences and arrests of CNRP activists, Sak Setha said that it was the court's procedures, so the CNRP should hire good lawyers to defend them. "The two (deputy) leaders had discussed this matter, but agreed that the two parties would not do anything that could affect the court's procedures,"he said.

CNRP's spokesman Eng Chhay Eang said the party would use legal mechanism to tackle this issue. "We will employ lawyers to defend the 11 convicted activists at the Appeal Court and the three recently-arrested activists at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court,"he told the joint press conference.

Border issue between Cambodia and Vietnam has become a sensitive topic in Cambodia over the past few months after the CNRP has accused the Phnom Penh government of using wrong maps to demarcate border line with Vietnam.

However, Prime Minister Hun Sen has defended that the maps his government is using to demarcate border line with Vietnam are authentic ones, which were deposited at the United Nations in 1964. Endi