Interview With Mr. Sam Rainsy on King's Signature on Supplemental Border Treaty
Mr. Sam Rainsy said that he believes the people along the border better than the leadership
Opposition Sam Rainsy party leader Sam Rainsy in his interview with VOA's Khmer Service's stringer Wednesday says that King Sihamoni has signed the controversial 1985 supplemental border treaty which Prime Minister Hun Sen has signed with Vietnam on October 10, which is bad news for him. He said he has written two letters to the King imploring him not to sign it, as it is illegal and not in accordance with the 1991 Paris Accord, resulting in Cambodia losing her territorial and maritime borders. He said that former King Sihanouk said from Beijing, China, that the treaty makes Cambodia lose her land, thus he will not come back to his homeland. The former monarch said that he is very worried about this event because in his words Cambodia will lose a lot of land. Prime Minister Hun Sen, Prince Ranaridh, and a number of royal family members said that Cambodia will not lose any territory. Mr. Sam Rainsy said that he does not believe the current Cambodian leaders' words, and instead he believes the people living along the border in Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Kampong Cham, Mundol Kiri, Ratanakiri, Kampot, and Kandal provinces. They said the Vietnamese encroached the border deep inside Cambodia and swallowed the farm lands and the Buddhist temples. He added that some Khmer leaders care about their personal interests. Mr. Sam Rainsy said that he cannot do anything else except voicing his opinions through media such as VOA and keeping the people's rights to protest, and hoping that one day some nationalists will take power and nullify this treaty. The opposition party leader said that this controversy is not over yet. One way out is for former King Sihanouk to suggest the 1991 Paris Accord's signatory countries to reconvene. The former monarch was the signatory himself. The former King said that this supplemental treaty is not in accordance with the 1991 Paris Accord which stated that any treaty that violates Cambodia's sovereignty should be nullified. Mr. Sam Rainsy said that King Sihamoni received pressure and threats that the royal regime would be abolished if he does not endorse this treaty.