PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen announced Friday that he will fly to Laos on Saturday to discuss border issue with his counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith.
The Cambodian prime minister made the announcement on his official Facebook page.
Earlier in the day, Hun Sen called on Laos to withdraw its troops from Cambodian territory by Aug. 17, otherwise military action will be taken.
He said since April, Laos has sent about 30 troops to Cambodian territory in Stung Treng province illegally under the pretext of preventing Cambodia from constructing a road along the border.
"We construct the road in our land, and our Lao friends have come to prevent us. They crossed Sekong River to our territory," Hun Sen said during a ceremony at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh.
He added that to maintain niceties with Laos, he ordered the engineering unit to halt construction of the road, but the Lao troops have not withdrawn.
Hun Sen said he wrote a letter to Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith on Aug. 2 to ask him to pull out troops from Cambodian territory but has yet to receive a reply.
"I send a message from here, calling on His Excellency Thongloun Sisoulith, the prime minister of Laos, to withdraw troops from Cambodian territory unconditionally," Hun Sen said. "The latest ultimatum is Aug. 17."
Hun Sen said he has ordered his troops to be redeployed in Stung Treng province, adding that military action will be taken against those invading forces when the ultimatum comes.
Cambodia shares about 540 km of border with Laos to the north and northeast.
