PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has predicted that if the opposition comes to power, a civil war will break out in Cambodia, along with wars between Cambodia and neighboring countries. He said this would happen because of two factors: a policy of confiscating property from the rich to give to the poor, and a declaration to get back the country’s lost land.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony for students at the Asia Euro University on Tuesday morning, 23 August, Prime Minister Hun Sen stated that the policy of the opposition is dangerous for the nation and its people.

"Now you can continue to announce like that, in the future, you can use as policy to compete," he said. "You put out a war against Vietnam’s policy to get back land. If you are serious, please do it. I do not need to explain anything more, because I have already explained this for five hours in parliament."

The Prime Minister stated that the territorial dispute between Cambodia and Vietnam has increased since the French colonial period, when France ceded Kampuchea Krom territory, including Koh Tral, or Phu Quoc island, to Vietnam, unrelated to the responsibilities of the current Cambodian government. He added that if the land were easy to take back, Prince Norodom Sihanouk would have already done so when he came back in power.

"Their (opposition) extremism and prejudice are beyond imagination," he said.

Vietnam ranks 28th in the world in terms of military powers. The country also has a history of wining wars against the French and the United States of America.

France ceded Kampuchea Krom, or the former French Cochinchina, of 21 provinces to Vietnam through a law on 4 June 1949. The Cambodia-Vietnam border issue, however, still remains a problem to this day.

Cambodia and Vietnam have currently demarcated about 84% of its land border, while the remaining 16% is still under negotiation. Cambodia shares a land border with Vietnam that is about 1,270 kilometers long.

Prime Minister Hun Sen addressed the National Assembly on 9 August 2012 and spent more than five hours explaining the Cambodia-Vietnam border issue, which dates back to the French colonial era, when there were no border posts at the time and only administrative boundaries. He stressed that the protection of sovereignty and territorial integrity is the first and foremost duty and obligation of the Royal Government and also the right and duty of every Cambodian citizen.

"This patriotism and territory is not the exclusive right of any individual or political party alone," he said.