Synopsis: Opposition politician must meet requirements if he is to be allowed to discuss disputed frontier markers with the government.

Prime Minister Hun Manet has welcomed Um Sam An’s plan to send his representatives to Cambodia in November to prove the opposition politician’s claims that the government has ceded land to Thailand.

The self-exiled Sam An had responded yesterday to the prime minister’s invitation to submit documents to back up allegations concerning land between boundary markers 52 and 59 at the Cambodia-Thailand border. He said he would send a letter responding to the invitation and submit the names of his delegation members before the end of October.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Mr Hun Manet said discussions between Sam An’s delegation and the government must focus exclusively on technical border issues and that the group must not engage in any political activities during their stay in Cambodia.

Mr Hun Manet said the response from Sam An showed that the opposition politician has changed his position several times over the previous two weeks regarding his return to Cambodia and the evidence he claimed to possess.

The prime minister said Sam An had previously raised concerns about his safety and requested a pardon before returning to Cambodia. He added that Sam An had also changed his position regarding the availability of evidence, the involvement of French border experts and the scope of the proposed discussions.

Mr Hun Manet said he invited Sam An and his team of “border experts” to bring their documents and evidence for verification against the findings of the expert working group from the State Secretariat of Border Affairs.

The verification would focus on areas where Sam An has alleged that the government and the border working group placed border markers deep inside Cambodian territory, resulting in the loss of land to Thailand.

Mr Hun Manet said four conditions applied to Sam An and his delegation to ensure the meeting remains focused on technical matters.

First, discussions must be limited to the Cambodia-Thailand border issue between markers 52 and 59, the area covered by Sam An’s allegations. Sam An must assemble a team of experts with technical knowledge of border affairs and bring the documents and evidence for verification in Cambodia.

Second, no activities other than discussions and technical verification based on the submitted evidence will be permitted. Sam An and his team must not engage in any political activities, whether public or covert, during their stay. To warn Sam An against taking advantage of the situation for other purposes, Mr Hun Manet used the Khmer idiom of a dried fish seizing an opportunity to lay eggs.

Third, the discussions may take place any time after November 28, as the government will be occupied before then with preparations for the Francophonie Summit, which Cambodia is hosting, and the third meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Conciliation Commission established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Fourth, Sam An and his delegation must arrive in Cambodia no earlier than two days before the discussions begin and leave no later than two days after they conclude.

Mr Hun Manet said the safety guarantee applies only to the delegation’s trip to Cambodia for the purpose of discussing and verifying the border issue between markers 52 and 59, and only for the designated period.

He said Sam An must confirm whether he accepted the conditions and submit the delegation’s list of participants, planned arrival date and requests for government assistance, including accommodation, transport and security.

• Tags: Hun Manet, Um Sam An