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The Vietnam News |
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PHNOM PENH -
Cambodian students protested near
the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom
Penh on Friday against the alleged
encroachment by Vietnam into
Cambodian territory.
Cambodian students protest at Vietnam embassyPolice wielding electric, cattle-prod-style batons prevented about 100 placard-waving, chanting students from approaching the embassy. Fire engines, which are used to hose down and disperse protesters, were on standby but were not used. Steady rain failed to dampen the students' spirits. ``We can stand the rain but we can't stand neighbours invading our territory,'' a protester said. Student representatives tried to enter the embassy to talk to Vietnamese officials but the embassy declined to meet them, a local government official at the scene said. It was the second consecutive day students took to the streets to protest against against what they say is the loss of territory to Cambodia's neighbours. Students rallied outside the Thai embassy on Thursday. Cambodia has border disputes with all three of its neighbours -- Laos, Thailand and Vietnam -- and the highly emotive issue of the loss of territory has figured prominently in local newspapers in recent months. Cambodia and Vietnam agreed last month to resolve disagreements over their land and sea borders by the end of 2000. The two countries have overlapping claims to an area of the Gulf of Thailand potentially rich in natural gas. A Cambodian delegation is in Bangkok this week to discuss the poorly demarcated border between the two countries. Thailand and Cambodia also have overlapping offshore claims. Reuters - July 2, 1998. |