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More than 100 ethnic minority Khmer Krom monks and activists in Cambodia marched through streets here on Tuesday, the fourth day of their protest against a former Vietnamese diplomat.
Protesters walked from the Freedom Park to the parliament and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office to Cambodia to call for support in their demand for an apology from Vietnam over comments made by a former embassy spokesman four months ago.
In June, then-Vietnamese spokesman Trung Van Thong commented on a radio program that South Vietnam, which was once part of former Kampuchea Krom provinces, belonged to Vietnam "long" before France 's official transfer of the land in 1949.
It marked the fourth day of the latest round of protests over the comments. Protesters submitted petitions to the parliament and the UN office before marching to rally in front of the Vietnamese embassy, which is fortified by riot police and metal barricades.
During the march, activists handed out stickers written: "Say no to Vietnam Products and Services".
The group urged the former spokesman to recognize the true history of Kampuchea Krom and to apologize to the Cambodian people. However, Vietnam has rejected their demand, accusing them of interfering in Vietnam's internal affairs.
"The protest will end only if the Vietnamese government publicly recognizes the true history of Kampuchea Krom, or makes an apology," Thach Sitha, a protest leader and president of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Association, told reporters.
