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CambodiaVietnam.Photo: Philip Skoczkowski.France 24
The issue of the Vietnamese-Cambodian border has been one of contention for 25 years now. The latest map sees dozens of Cambodian villages on the wrong side of the border. One of our Observers in Cambodia follows the hindered efforts of the opposition party to look into situation. This account has not been verified by FRANCE 24.
Victoria Petitjean (Victo) works for women's rights NGO in Phnom Penh.
After Cambodia gained its independence from France in 1953, the frontiers were firmly established (apart from a small number of islands) by King Sihanouk and were officially recognized by the UN. However, these were challenged by Vietnam after its intervention of 1979 against the Khmer Rouge Regime, arguing these had not been clearly defined after France's withdrawal.
The newly established government (which would be in place from 1979 until 1989), including amongst its leaders, Hun Sen, and supported by Vietnam, signed a number of treaties with its foreign ally, including the one of 1985, bringing changes to the Cambodian-Vietnamese borders.
However, this government seen as a foreign-dominated country was not internationally recognized. As a result, with the UN-led Paris Treaty of 1993, all treaties, including that of 1985, were rendered obsolete. Yet, the same leaders of the 1980s period, including Hun Sen, remained in place and maintained strong links with Vietnam. And, in 2005, a new Treaty was signed, called the ‘Additional Treaty' in which the frontiers of 1985 were re-established.
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