Khmer Times/Taing Vida Friday, 17 June 2016
Vietnam’s new president has expressed gratitude to Cambodia for providing assistance to Vietnamese residents in the past and hopes the Kingdom will continue to take measures to ensure the legal rights of Vietnamese residents.
In a joint statement yesterday after a two-day state visit, Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang said Vietnam always valued the good friendship and strong support extended to the people of Vietnam, expecting Cambodia to treat Vietnamese residents the same as other foreign residents living in the Kingdom in conformity with the laws and regulations of Cambodia.
Mr. Quang expressed his deep conviction that Cambodia would successfully organize communal elections in 2017 and national elections to select members of the National Assembly and sixth legislature in 2018, contributing to the realization of a peaceful and prosperous nation.
The joint statement says both sides had agreed to increase high-level meetings and contacts, exchange delegations at all levels and promote people-to-people contact, particularly between the people in border provinces.
Both sides agreed to instruct relevant ministries and agencies concerned to collaborate with each other to amend the mechanisms and agreements to promote bilateral trade, investment and economic connectivity between the two nations. They also agreed to review policies with the goal of achieving $5 million in bilateral trade in the coming years.
Both sides reaffirmed they would continue to fully implement treaties, agreements and memorandum of understandings on border issues between the two countries. They also committed to finding solutions to undemarcated border sections to complete land border delineation and plant markers as soon as possible with the aim of building a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development.
According to the joint statement, the Cambodian King and ruling party leaders expressed their deep gratitude for the strong support and assistance that generations of leaders and the people of Vietnam have accorded to Cambodian people in the past and present, and affirmed that they always remember the assistance of the Vietnamese voluntary soldiers, in cooperation with the Cambodian people, to liberate Cambodia from the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.
Speaking on behalf of the opposition, Yim Sovann, spokesman of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), said 90 percent of imported products came from Vietnam and that needed to be addressed.
Instead of understanding each other, Vietnam should ensure that Vietnamese residents are living in Cambodia legally, otherwise they will be penalized equally in accordance with Cambodian law, Mr. Sovann added.
“We have seen a lot of controversial issues, especially along the border. There have been many agreements to bring peace along the border, but Vietnam has violated and abused Cambodian residents. Khmer Krom territory is an example of land that we lost to Vietnam.
“Cambodian people understand what the ruling party has done to this nation. The CNRP would not do it. In contrast, we would find the solution and protect our nation,” Mr. Sovann said.
Statistics from the Interior Ministry’s immigration department show that 874 Vietnamese, allegedly found living illegally in the country, were deported in the first five months of this year. The data also show that a total of 8,198 Vietnamese were deported from 2014-2016.