Belgian farmer moves border with France

A Belgian farmer unwittingly extended his country’s territory by moving an ancient stone 2.20 meters. The stone, which was on the farmer’s land, marks Belgium’s border with France and its exact location was decided by a border agreement two centuries ago. The stone’s new location was discovered in April by a group of local history enthusiasts on a walk in a wooded area on the French side, and has caused a flap in the normally sleepy rural community. “If it belongs to us, it belongs to us. We don’t want to be robbed of 2 meters,” a resident of the French village of Bousignies-sur-Roc told French TV station RTL Info. On the other side, in the Belgian village of Erquelinnes, Mayor David Lavaux appeared keen to avoid an international incident. “The land was sold and I think the person who bought it changed the borders the way he wanted,” he said. “But this isn’t just a private border, it’s a border between countries and you can’t just at will move boundary markers that have been there for a long time.” (Reuters) This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.