Hot: Cambodia - Laos border tension

Tensions surrounding Cambodia's road construction on the border with Laos show no signs of abating.

The Cambodia Daily on February 28 quoted Mr. Duong Pov, Deputy Governor of Stung Treng Province of Cambodia, saying that Lao soldiers have started digging trenches to prevent Laos from building roads near the border area.

Cambodia had previously planned to build a 257-km road connecting Stung Treng city (Stung Treng province) with Siem Pang district, in an effort to improve local infrastructure. However, the construction was suspended after more than 400 armed Lao soldiers allegedly crossed into the area over the past two weeks to block it. In response, Cambodia also sent troops to the border area to deal with the situation.

Cambodian and Lao soldiers exchange at the border area. Photo: Fresh News

The tensions have not eased since Cambodian officials first reported the incident last week. Duong Pov said on February 27 that negotiations were at an impasse. “The meetings have not produced a good solution because the Lao side does not agree with us. Our position is to continue building this road because it is the government’s plan, but the Lao side is still opposed,” he said.

According to Mr. Duong Pov, while the negotiations were at a dead end, Lao forces began digging trenches to prevent road construction on the grounds that this activity "could affect their country's border."

However, Duong Pov remains confident that the dispute can be resolved peacefully. “We are trying to resolve this issue peacefully because we do not want a major conflict with each other,” he said, adding that Lao officials would ask the central government to send people to inspect the road site.

For their part, Cambodian authorities will also send a report on the incident to Stung Treng Governor Mom Saroeun for review, before submitting it to higher authorities. Mr. Mom declined to comment on the incident, but provincial government spokesman Men Kong said that Governor Mom Saroeun “cannot comment yet” because he has not received a report on the current situation.

Tit for tat

According to The Phnom Penh Post, the incident is similar to a dispute last April, when Cambodia protested against Laos building a military base in the border area between the two countries in Thala Barivat district, also in Stung Treng province.

According to Ek Syvanndorn, deputy chief of Stung Treng police, Cambodian police and soldiers were put on alert after Laos refused Cambodia’s request to stop construction in the undemarcated border area. Stung Treng provincial forces also responded by blocking Lao engineering trucks transporting construction materials across Cambodia’s National Highway 7.

Paul Chambers, a professor of international relations at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, said that “border clashes” could have a negative impact on bilateral relations if the unrest in the border area is not resolved. “The recent incident is simply a tit-for-tat, as Laos is simply demonstrating its border protection capabilities in response to Cambodia’s previous protest,” he told The Phnom Penh Post.

Last week, Lao President Bounnhang Vorachith paid a state visit to Cambodia to “strengthen relations” on February 22 and 23. However, Eang Sophalleth, an aide to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, said the two sides did not discuss the border issue.

According to TNO