Vietnam responds to accusations of Vietnamese people speaking ill of Cambodian prime minister

Vietnam asserts that comments by a group believed to be Vietnamese on the Cambodian Prime Minister's Facebook page do not reflect Vietnam's views.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh. Photo: Quy Doan.

"A group of people believed to be Vietnamese expressed personal opinions on social media that do not reflect Vietnam's views. We do not agree with the use of freedom of speech to insult individuals, express provocative and extreme attitudes, and divide the two countries," Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said on August 30.

Mr. Le Hai Binh affirmed that Vietnam highly values ​​the neighborly, friendly and comprehensive cooperative relationship with Cambodia. Over the years, Hanoi and Phnom Penh have maintained and developed peaceful and friendly relations for the common interests of the two peoples.

Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on August 27 that some people, believed to be Vietnamese, had made offensive comments on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's Facebook page, related to Phnom Penh's stance on the East Sea issue, according to Cambodia Daily.

According to the Phnom Penh Post, this person commented that Cambodia has lowered ASEAN's position in the East Sea dispute by supporting China's stance.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has repeatedly stated that the South China Sea is not Cambodia’s issue. He does not support the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the South China Sea and opposes any ASEAN statement supporting the ruling.

"If you or your country has a problem with China, please solve it peacefully. Don't blame me and don't drag Cambodia into your country's internal problems," he responded to a comment on Facebook.

China publicly thanked Cambodia in July for supporting Beijing's stance on the South China Sea disputes at an ASEAN meeting in Laos.

According to VNE