champa sak province, Laos – Cambodia and Laos on Sunday began marking the 535-km border between the two countries.
With a ceremony here, the two sides began the time-consuming task of deciding what exactly is Cambodia and what is Laos.
Because of war and civil unrest in Laos and Cambodia following the end of colonial rule, the two countries did not have the chance to properly mark their border, co-Minister of Interior Sar Kheng said at a ceremony Sunday.
But now, Sar Kheng said, Cambodia and Laos can decide on a mutual “border of peace, friendship and cooperation.”
Asang Laoly, Lao interior minister, said the project will ensure that the two countries will not have any border disputes, continuing a tradition of good relations.
The border inspection team, comprising 10 Cambodians and 10 Laotians, will work in the dense jungle along with deciding on points that will serve as the official border. Cambodian soldiers will clear areas along the border in preparation for the border team’s inspection.
Var Kim Hong, Cambodian government adviser in charge of border affairs, said the two sides have not decided how many border demarcation points the team will identify.
Var Kim Hong said he did not know when the demarcation would be completed. “If there are not any problems, it will be finished soon,” he said.
If there are problems, the two sides will work together to discuss and resolve them, Var Kim Hong said.
The Cambodian government has recently been working on a similar project with Vietnam, in hopes that a well-defined border will ease border disputes between the countries.
