Cambodia pulls out of border development deal with Vietnam and Laos

Cambodia has withdrawn from a decades-old regional economic development deal with Vietnam and Laos, Prime Minister Hun Manet said, in a surprise concession to critics concerned about the kingdom losing territory to its neighbours.

The 25-year-old Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA) agreement has been the focus of online criticism and overseas protests in recent months.

In a statement posted to his Facebook page late on Sept 20, Mr Hun Manet said Cambodia had decided to pull out of the deal, and that both Vietnam and Laos had been notified of the decision.

He accused "extremists" of using the deal as "a political weapon" to attack his administration by alleging it had ceded parts of four north-eastern provinces to foreign countries.