This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now licensed for reprint.
After a significant security presence was deployed in big cities to halt planned demonstrations against an economic assistance deal with Vietnam and Laos, regulators across Cambodia over the weekend made more than 30 arrests.
No rallies against the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Triangle Development Area, or CLV, were held on Sunday in Phnom Penh or elsewhere in the nation.
In a Telegram information posted on Monday, Prime Minister Hun Manet thanked police, military officers, men and special makes for “maintaining surveillance, public order, and cultural balance” by setting up roadblocks on highways and in provincial capitals.
National Police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun stated that” strong steps and careful participation among competent authorities have prevented the extremist group’s designed riot.”
These individuals are currently under the command of government, he said, and they will be taken to court for legal action.  ,
Earlier this month, elsewhere Thai protesters organized protests in South Korea, Japan, Canada and Australia. That led Senate President Hun Sen to issue an a  warning about common arrests of activists next year.  ,
The 1999 CLV agreement between the three countries was  , aimed at encouraging economical growth and trade , between Cambodia’s four northern provinces and neighboring provinces across the border.
However, some protesters have just begun voiceing problems that the CLV might result in Cambodia losing territory or retaining Vietnam’s control over its natural resources.
Another fresh battle, indeed.
Hun Sen and another senior government figures have portrayed the censure as a threat to the stability of the nation. After posting a Facebook video in which the CLV was discussed, three activists were detained last month and charged with provocation.  ,
Earlier this month, Hun Manet warned against protesting against the state,  , citing Bangladesh’s new demonstrations , that led to the resignation of that country’s president.
The primary minister has stated that no country will be lost as a result of the CLV. He claimed on Telegram on Monday that the state is “obliged to maintain peace, security, and protection for all citizens at all costs in order to maintain sanity of their normal lives.”
In a message on Facebook on Sunday, Chhum Socheat, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of National Defense, noted the lack of weekend demonstrations.
This is a new battle for the extremist opposition party abroad, which has always been hostile in its attempts to overthrow the government through non-democratic means, he wrote.  ,
The government may have planned the extensive surveillance presence, according to Australian human rights observer Soeung Senkaruna, who said it would be used to avenge criticism of the CLV.  ,
He told RFA,” This was planned to constantly stretch the military forces ‘ muscles.”
Small understanding in Laos
Some Cambodians are concerned that long-term agricultural land agreements under the CLV may cause the CLV to cede control of sizable landholdings to Asian or Chinese investors.
However, a government established in Laos ‘ Attapeu territory claimed to be aware of no Asian or Thai investment projects under the CLV.  ,
The state borders Cambodia’s Ratanakiri and Stung Treng regions, as well as Vietnam’s Kon Tum state.
However, the national, who requested secrecy to talk more freely about government matters, said the Chinese government has sent delegates to previous CLV meetings.
Officials from the three countries met in Attapeu province in February to discuss how to work together to clear unexploded weapons and stop human and drug trafficking and illegal border crossings.
A draft master plan for socio-economic development is also being worked on by a joint coordination committee on the CLV, according to Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and will be discussed at a summit of top government leaders in Cambodia later this year.
