Authorities arrested over 20 political and human rights activists, and youths in the days leading to a planned rally to oppose the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Areas (CLV-DTA) agreement in Phnom Penh on Sunday as stringent checks on travelers entering the capital were conducted.

On Sunday morning, police picked up four members of Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA) in their office, as well as three opposition officials and 16 social youths at their homes and a hotel, respectively, on Saturday night.

On August 11, several thousand Cambodians protested in South Korea, Japan and Australia to demand the government to withdraw from the CLV-DTA due to concerns of Cambodia ceding territory in the northeast province to Vietnam.

A Telegram group named “United for the Nation” was also formed for discussion and to allegedly organize a protest in front of the Royal Palace at 4pm on August 18.

Chan Ramy, executive director of Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP), said the youths, who were arrested by police on Saturday night, were going to attend a YRDP forum on social protection in a hotel and were staying there overnight.

Twelve youths were summoned for questioning in Chhbar Ampov district and four in Tuol Kouk district. They were part of 30 people who arrived in the capital from Siem Reap and Battambang provinces to attend the forum on social protection.

Ramy said the forum, which was planned weeks ahead regardless of the anti-CLV-DTA rally, was eventually called off upon the request of the hotel owner on Saturday night.

“I think it is not right because they came here to join the forum. We’re not involved in the protests, and we have already given the documents to him [police],” she shared.

Meanwhile, KSILA members Kat Sinat, Nuern Sreyneth, Ream Sreypichrothana and Thy Thorn were arrested by police who also closed the youth association office on the orders of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court deputy prosecutor Seng Heang.

When asked about the arrest of the YRDP youths and KSILA members, Phnom Penh Municipal Police spokesperson Sam Vichheka said, “The authorities are calling [them] for questioning, but we can’t inform [anything] yet”.

According to a social media post on Sunday evening, several young people were arrested in front of the Royal Palace, where over 100 law enforcement officers were deployed there.

National Police spokesperson Chhay Khim Khoeun said he would release information on the arrests later in the day. When asked at 8 p.m, he told CamboJA News to quote him according to the information he gave online media Fresh News.

Fresh News reported that 31 alleged protesters including two women, “who acted in accordance with the call to mobilize people at the planned location”, were arrested in connection with the supposed protest.

Police also confiscated equipment and weapons such as gasoline bottles, knives, knuckle dusters, sticks, slingshots and airsoft metal bullets, which are believed to be used as “countermeasures against the authority”, Kim Khoeun was quoted as saying.

“The people are under the control of the authorities who are preparing to send them to court for legal action,” he said.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak said the series of arrests was to maintain social order. Some groups had “carefully planned the protests to overthrow the government on the pretext of protesting against the CLV-DTA”.

“[Looking] at the activities of this small group, they have carefully prepared dangerous devices and provocative messages [to be used] when they clashed with the authorities. This isn’t a demonstration, it’s a planned riot [but called] demonstration to turn it into a revolution to overthrow the government,” Sokhak said.

Candlelight Party secretary-general Ly Sothearayuth said two of their own activists and two others from Khmer Will Party (KWP) were recently arrested.

Three of them, Sun Piseth, Lor Thorn and Meas Kol, who were party members in Pailin province were arrested on the night of August 17, while Candlelight activist Sok Chea in Pursat province was taken in on August 15.

Sothearayuth mentioned that the exact reasons for their arrest are still unknown.

“The party [Candlelight] believes that there should be a clear reason and a court order for their arrest,” he said.

“The party requests the authorities to review their arrests and release them to participate in both Candlelight and KWP’s political affairs in accordance with their objectives and ideals.”

Recounting the incident of Meas Kol’s arrest on Saturday night, his wife Ouk Nakri told CamboJA News that 10 policemen came to their house around 10 p.m to look for her husband. They did not offer a reason or produce an arrest warrant before he was taken to the Pailin provincial police commissioner.

“I do not know why [he was arrested] because we did not do anything. It doesn’t make sense to arrest us, we did nothing wrong,” Nakri said.

However, she shared that Kol’s arrest followed a party gathering at their home the previous day, which included five or six friends. That said, she emphasized that it was “simply a party, not an organized meeting for any particular purpose”.

Nakri expressed concern for her family’s safety. “I’m especially worried at night,” she said. “During the day, I saw police officers riding past our house several times. I am afraid that we might be targeted next. Our children will have nothing to eat, they are so young.”

On Friday, Grassroots Democratic Party issued a statement separately demanding the authorities to release one of their activists, Sem Sophal, who was arrested for reasons unknown on August 16.

National Defense Ministry spokesperson Chhum Socheat said the general situation in Cambodia on Sunday seemed “void of anti-government movements”.

He described the alleged plan as a “failure” by opposition groups abroad to overthrow the government. But, the military was ready to prevent any anti-government activities to keep the people safe, he asserted.

Many roads leading to Phnom Penh were restricted by police officers with barricades such as Hun Sen Boulevard and the Takmao border. Within the city, police roadblocks were set up to the entrance of the Royal Palace at the Chuon Nath roundabout. The protest was planned to take place around the palace area.

Law enforcement officers were also present at numerous locations in the capital. Recall that Phnom Penh police chief Chuon Narin said more than 1,000 police officers, equivalent to 50 percent of the total police force in Phnom Penh, were ready to intervene in the event of a protest.