Retired King Norodom Sihanouk once again deplored the encroachment of neighboring countries on Cambodian territory and chided Cambodian leaders for the country’s ill-defined borders.
In his message, dated Sunday, Norodom Sihanouk wrote that the “white zones,” the disputed areas along the borders, which he said are “shamelessly and illegally violating the territorial Integrity of Cambodia are absolutely unacceptable.”
Norodom Sihanouk wrote that the map of the country, drawn up by Cambodia in 1964 at the UN, showed no uncertainties as to where Cambodia began and ended. This assessment, he said, was acknowledged by Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Sok An, Var Kimhong, chairman of the government’s border committee, and Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary of State Long Visalo.
“The ‘white zones’ are a pure invention of neighbor X or Y or Z of Cambodia and imposed on Khmers enfeoffed to the foreign Powers X or Y or Z,” the retired King wrote in the message, posted on his Web site.
Norodom Sihanouk, who was recently appointed as chairman of the new Supreme National Council on border issues, added that until he was ousted from power in 1970, he had not known of any contested zones along the border.
Since 1979, parts of Cambodian waters were claimed by Vietnam, the retired King said.
He added that neighboring countries, including Laos and Thailand, had in some places moved the boundary marks on the border 17 km or more inside Cambodia.
“[T]he ‘white zones’ are purely and simply given by the Khmer authorities to…Vietnam under the shameful ‘disguise’ of ‘zones of which the belonging is again put on the carpet of discussions and negotiations,’” he wrote.
Earlier this month, following his appointment to the Supreme National Council, Norodom Sihanouk urged citizens to go to the borders and report occurrences of encroachment directly to him.
Since then, members of both the Students Movement for Democracy and the ultra-nationalist Khmer Front Party have visited the borders in answer to his call.
