Phen Bunthoeun, the NGO director who was arrested and detained overnight by Vietnamese authorities for leading about 40 students to visit a disputed border area in Svay Rieng province on Saturday, admitted Monday that he had gone there to inspect alleged border violations.
Mr. Bunthoeun, who heads two small NGOs that advocate for children’s rights and educate students planning to work on Vietnamese farms, claimed after his release Sunday that he was beaten and arrested after leading a trip to see Vietnamese rice and the “situation” at the border.
On Monday, he continued to deny crossing into Vietnam, but defended his trip as a necessary and educational experience for primary-and high-school students whose country’s territory is being encroached upon.
“They started to know about their territory after going there and have become concerned about it and regret [the situation], and now they will study harder and want to know about it,” Mr. Bunthoeun said.
“When I was walking with them, some of them told me that this or that farm belonged to their parents, and they used to farm the land before renting it to the Vietnamese,” he added, reiterating that he had not reached the border.
Local officials said on Sunday that they also believed Mr. Bunthoeun had not crossed into Vietnam, but provincial governor Chieng Am on Monday disputed such claims.
“When they arrived at the area of border marker 202, Phen Bunthoeun had crossed about 150 meters into Vietnamese territory, and the Vietnamese authorities arrested him and sent him to the station of the border soldiers,” Mr. Am wrote in a letter to Interior Minister Sar Kheng.
Mr. Bunthoeun on Monday also defended taking the students, aged between 7 and 16 years old, to an area with overlapping Cambodian and Vietnamese claims to the land.
“Some people might view it as dangerous to take them, but we ask: ‘When should they understand this issue?’ and when we did [go there], we thought we were careful and we did not allow anyone to go close to it,” he said.
5 comments:
Begin of Drgunzet's comment.
Wow, the Khmer involved children as young as age 7 with the border disputes. That's evil.
Khmer students are failing National exams like flies. I would think the Khmer adults will try to educate their children better to pass the exam instead of messing their heads with hatreds and false border issues.
This year, the number of registered student for the 2015 have dropped by the thousands. Basically, many students just give up and will not bother to try. What's the point of taking the exam knowing you would fail?
Cambodia will continue to have low skill, low education work force. In contrast, Vietnam not only produces 30-50 times more skilled, highly educated work force, many of them have perfect scores or excellent marks from foreign schools!
There is no way Cambodia can compete against Vietnam, both in quality and quantity.
-Drgunzet-
-Drgunzet-
To cure your big mouth problem, your face needs to be f**ked.
Yes, it's in the Viet's gene!!! -Drgunzet-, a racist Vietnamese!!!
Topix › China › Drgunzet is a chronic liar and Vietna...
Drgunzet is a chronic liar and Vietnamese racist !!!
http://www.topix.com/forum/world/china/TOG5KCV6KL2TSDTQG
Take a look!!!
This is a reality and the same trick the fuckign youn used to steal our land.
Dear Khmer and Foreign readers:
Please just be aware of #comcomWF has been cloned from drgunzet who is based in Boise, Idaho, USA. Don't mind with these cheap Vietnamese/Yuon races that have played the roles to confuse you and these cheap Vietnamese/Yuon races think you (Khmer and Foreign readers) are gullible enough to be manipulated by these cheap Vietnamese/Yuon races.
Khmer Yeourng
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