Hun Sen seen flanked by a huge number of generals (Photo: Global Witness)Criticisms over the huge number of high ranking military officers
12 September 2007
By Moeung Tum
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
The People Power Party (PPP) called on the ministry of defense to review the growing huge number of high ranking military officers.
The PPP officially made this request in a letter dated 12 September, in which it indicated that while under the current condition where Cambodia only have only 100,000 soldiers, Cambodia counts more than 10,000 officers (officers, superior officers, generals).
Kan Virak, PPP president, said that, normally, a second lieutenant officer in any country has the duty to oversee 100 army troops. Therefore, Kan Virak considers it a shame that Cambodia which has a population of 14 million people, counts such a huge number of army officers, and some of these officers who hold the rank of captains and up are not even 25-year-old yet.
Kan Virak added that the huge number of army officers brings bad consequence to Cambodia. “This affects the honor of the country, in particular among other countries under development. Developed countries are undervaluing our country, because with the number of our population, and the number of our military troops, we have so many generals, so many superior officers, and some of our superior officers and officers are way too young. Frankly speaking, this shows about our inability. The second problem is the national budget … the monthly salary of a military chief is not 40,000 to 100,000 riels ($10 to $25) like a soldier, the monthly salary of a military chief is at least 150,000 riels ($37.50) and up, this is just for a second lieutenant all the way to a captain. For superior officers (major and up) and generals, they even get perks such as car, gasoline, and other things. This severely affects the national budget.”
Kan Virak believes that this issue exists because of the prevalence of corruption in Cambodia, and because of the clan system.
The ministry of defense did not provide its reply against the criticisms and the request by the PPP on these issues it raised.
The PPP officially made this request in a letter dated 12 September, in which it indicated that while under the current condition where Cambodia only have only 100,000 soldiers, Cambodia counts more than 10,000 officers (officers, superior officers, generals).
Kan Virak, PPP president, said that, normally, a second lieutenant officer in any country has the duty to oversee 100 army troops. Therefore, Kan Virak considers it a shame that Cambodia which has a population of 14 million people, counts such a huge number of army officers, and some of these officers who hold the rank of captains and up are not even 25-year-old yet.
Kan Virak added that the huge number of army officers brings bad consequence to Cambodia. “This affects the honor of the country, in particular among other countries under development. Developed countries are undervaluing our country, because with the number of our population, and the number of our military troops, we have so many generals, so many superior officers, and some of our superior officers and officers are way too young. Frankly speaking, this shows about our inability. The second problem is the national budget … the monthly salary of a military chief is not 40,000 to 100,000 riels ($10 to $25) like a soldier, the monthly salary of a military chief is at least 150,000 riels ($37.50) and up, this is just for a second lieutenant all the way to a captain. For superior officers (major and up) and generals, they even get perks such as car, gasoline, and other things. This severely affects the national budget.”
Kan Virak believes that this issue exists because of the prevalence of corruption in Cambodia, and because of the clan system.
The ministry of defense did not provide its reply against the criticisms and the request by the PPP on these issues it raised.
20 comments:
In a country as Cambodia inwhich there are a Lot of Generals PhD. Honor Phd. Excellencies, Many Unversities Many, Oknhas...reflex the Poor& Low Education of a Country with very low Qualification both in terms of Management/ Military/Civil Education Economy & Culture....
EXCELLENCY BANDIT PHD. DR. GENERAL(7 Diamond Stars)SAMDACH Krom Preat OKNHA ACHAR KNOY
Kudo to PPP in bringing this matter to light.Can PPP list out all Generals for readers interest?
Hun Sen play his own game in cambodia. He didn't understand all thing but he got power he can kill all if he want.
This is the result of the experty of vietnamse expert/advisers in helping cambodians to rob the country to bare bone and pass on big share to vietnam.In fact it is an insult to precious cambodia.Cambodian people see that what they called official gangsters.Roles are to rob the land ,cutting down timber,collecting resoures to vietnam.So please we have to change that attitude of show off and kill one another.Used khmer to kill khmer by promote anger and hatreat,so far khmer have been induced by power and greedy so that these super ranking generals,colonels,his excellecies,super PhD,high social elites rob and kill khmer.This polital strategy uses again and again until khmer number srinking,existing ethnics will then take over.Now induce another fight in khmer ring is KRT trial.
Beloved compatriots please try to see behind the screen or picture for our survival.
Khmer soth
Can asked Sihanouk to intervene his "Hero King", to eliminated the generals. But, hell these officials LOVE chaos & stupidity in a society anyway. I don't they care if all Khmers citizens die!
No problem.It is better than the
recent regims.
Yeah. Looked what the Vietnamese soldiers did to Khmer fishermen for instance, they've been abused, beatened, and tortured military style. Where are "generals" cronies to stand up in the interest of Khmer Citizens?
WE NEEDED TO TOUGHENED UP THE BORDER INTEGRITY, OTHERWISE AH YOUNS WILL COMES IN BY THE MILLIONS TO DYSTROY US FROM WITHIN. THEY'VE CROSSED BORDER TO DO DAMAGE TO NATURAL RESOURCES INSIDE CAMBODIA. TREES BEING LOGGED BY AH YOUNS, LAND BEING CLAIMED BY AH YOUNS, AND WHAT ELSE CAN A CITIZEN DO IF THE VERY GOVERNMENT THAT SUPPOSE TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE--TURN THEIR BACK ON THEM.
Excellent vision by the PPP. This is the kind of mentality we need for the present and future in order to help Srok Khmer grow out of corruption. "Applaud for PPP".
SHARING A SMALL PRECIOUS DELICIOUS PIE.
KHMER PROVERB: SMALL EAT SMALL; BIG EAT BIG AND DRINK WATER FLOW IN RIVER OR HENNNESY/JOHNNY WALKER ON THE TABLE OF CHENG LAY AND HANG NEAK RESTAUTANTS.
Name one of these useless generals who is an educated person? None. They are the fathers of corruptions along with the uneducated peasant their leader.
It's inefficient and it's a waste of resource. We don't need one officials for everyone 10 soldiers that are idling. These officials rise through corruption to the Cambodian People Party. Once they are up there, they start corrupting works to get the money they bribed back. It is like a business and the same time they use and abuse their position for other criminal activities. These guys are doing dis-service to the nation.
These useless corrupt generals' children are gangsters. Tough hah Cambodia is ruled by the gangsters.
we all khmer - american know how George Bush sounds when he speaks.
What make Hun Sen similar to Bush is that they both sound stupid.
I guess when bad and dump people talks it don't make sense, and sounds retarded.
Who knows this PPP president, Kan Virak? I never heard about this PPP. It sounds like CPP and it sounds like Communist party. This guy as I guessed is Hun Sen's agent. How many small parties that created by Hun Sen in Cambodia?
All these shit Generals contribute to Cambodia is to prop up r Hun Sen and abuse the weak and poor khmer and at the same time turning a blind eye to r youn/Vietcong that abuse khmer people. I would call these guys "Generals Without Consciences". These guys are worst than dogs.
I hate to generalise all the people as one, but I haven't seen one good Cambodian General yet. I saw only one-eyed General. These guys are blood suckers – leaches.
With all these multiple stars generals Cambodia never needs electricity because all of these stars will light up the night sky. Isn't this a great resource for Cambodia. LOL
All the generals are involved in corruption. They drive Lexus and Mercedez and have beautiful young women on the side, go to nightcllub idle and and drink. Then the wives would get jealous and use acid to disrupt the afair. Recently, two stars got drunk, fought over a woman and both were killed.
I never saw those stars light up Pnhom Penh. All I see is those stars spent time at Prek Leap.
Remember the airplane crash this year in Kampong Som, Hun Sen try to find the accident's airplane. He have difficulty to find because He don't have map that he wanted.
Hun Sen threaten to remove all the generals. Ooops he did not realized that he has threaten. He's a general too.
Happy for my uncle, who is and still a lieutenant-colonel (sak 4.5) since 1994, now 60 years old. Poor for the last two polices (lieutenant-colonel)died at the age 27 shooting in a pagoda.
You guys forget the title, Mohar Pritty Char Hun Nen (father of Hun Sen), I thought the Title Pritty Char is for the person with high education. Now I know that without schooling and be drunken a lots can me me a pritty char too. So I am confuse. Should I ask my younger relatives to go to school? They are not inspired to go to school anymore, when they saw someone like Hun Nen got the title Pritty Char.
For the restaurant
Don't forget TaTa, it's a nice restaurant too. Remember if go to Kampong Cham near bridge Truoy Changvar, the left side is forbid to fill land, because the land is for stocking the water in the monsoon. Chea Sim have help this restaurant to fill more land. in 2007, TaTa is bigger than the year 2000. Well I guess some of you know what i am talking about.
For your infomations, for superior officers (major and up) and generals, as I know, not all of them got those benefits like the report has pretended. Only CPP military got those full benefits. Forget about SRP and FUNCINPEC. I know a 2 stars of FUN, who received 20 US a month.
Give me stars or Give me death!
With the star on my shoulders and I can do great things such as land grabbing, extortion, and business monopoly...
vietcong set up this stuff just to creates caotic suffering in srokhmer. Thats vietcong is the root of all evil going on in cambodia. khmer people teach you kids that. so that khmer won't be stupid, because we didnt' teach them any better.
i hope i don't sound rouge, but it deeply from my heart and mind
Don't forget about the highest per capita ministers in the world too. With the world highest per capita in generals and ministers, Cambodia still spends tens of millions of dollars to hire foreigners to help run the country. I guess all those generals and ministers are a bunch of STUPID IDIOTS....
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