Indochina plans "three countries, one destination"
HANOI - The prime
ministers of Vietnam, Laos and
Cambodia resolved on Saturday to boost cooperation,
especially in tourism and infrastructure development.
In a joint statement after a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam's Phan Van Khai, Cambodia's Hun Sen and
Bounnyang Vorachit of Laos said they would press ahead with
efforts to realise a "Development Triangle" between their
countries.
The statement said priority would be given to constructing and upgrading transport links,
promoting trade, and tourism cooperation with theme "three countries, one destination".
The three Indochinese states were French colonies until the 1950s and staunch
Soviet-backed communist allies during the Cold War.
In the 1990s, suffering economically after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, they joined
former ideological enemies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but remain poor
cousins in that 10-member group.
The leaders also discussed ways to ensure security and social order in border areas,
prevent terrorism and fight crimes like drug trafficking, the statement said.
They agreed to formulate a master plan for socio-economic development, starting with
seven provinces -- Ratanakiri and Stung Treng in Cambodia, Attapu and Se Kong in Laos,
and Kontum, Gia Lai and Daklak in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
The meeting came amid controversy over plans for repatriating about 1,000 ethnic minority
refugees who fled to Cambodia last year during a crackdown on unrest over land rights
and religion in the Central Highlands.
Vietnam was furious when dozens of those who fled were allowed to resettle in the United
States.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International expressed concern on Friday about a plan
to allow repatriation of the refugees reached last week between the United Nations,
Vietnam and Cambodia, saying it did not provide sufficient safeguards.
On Thursday, U.S. ambassador to Cambodia Kent Wiedemann said Washington would
contact UNHCR and the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments to express its worries
about the deal.
The three Indochinese leaders agreed to hold a third meeting on the Development Triangle
in Phnom Penh in 2003.
Reuters - January 26, 2002.
Prime Ministers of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos Meet in Ho Chi Minh City
HANOI - Prime Ministers of Vietnam,
Cambodia and Laos, Phan Van Khai, Hun Sen and Boung Nang Vorachit,
held their second Meeting on Saturday in Ho Chi Minh City,
discussing ways and means to further promote their cooperation in
realizing "Vietnam-Combodia-Laos Development Triangle".
According to a press release, the Prime Ministers expressed
their resolve to implement the three countries' development
triangle program at an early date in order to speed up the socio-
economic development of the border area between the three
countries in lines with the Hanoi Plan of Action in 1998 on
poverty reduction and narrowing down the development gap among
ASEAN member countries.
They focused their discussions on the immediate and concrete
measures to implement the triangle program, giving priority to
their cooperation in some specific areas such as: constructing and
upgrading of transportation systems, implementing projects to
promote trade relations, enhancing cooperation in tourism, and
setting up inter-connected electricity grids between the three
countries.
They agreed to formulate a master plan for the socio-economic
development of the development triangle.
They also exchanged views on concrete measures to enhance
cooperation aimed at ensuring security and social order in the
border areas, preventing terrorist acts in each country, and
combating transnational crimes and drug trafficking.
Vietnamese and Lao Prime Ministers expressed their support for
Cambodia's hosting of the 8th ASEAN Summit at the end of 2002.
During the meeting, they agreed that their third meeting would
be held in Phnom Penh in 2003.
The First Meeting of the prime ministers was held in October 20,
1999, in Lao capital Vientiane.
Xinhua News Agency - January 26, 2002.
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