Tea Banh at RFA's office in Washington DC (Photo: Sam Borin, RFA)22 September 2009
By San Suwidh
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Vice-PM Tea Banh, the Cambodian minister of defense, denied reports indicating that a number of RCAF units are involved with human rights violations in Cambodia.
However, he recognized that a number of high-ranking army officers were denied entry visa by the US because of human rights violations.
The denial and the recognition by Tea Banh took place during his answer to questions raised by RFA and VOA reporters in the morning of Tuesday 22 September, following Tea Banh’s official meeting with Robert Gates, the US Secretary of Defense, on Monday afternoon.
In response to a question asked by RFA regarding the questions raised by 8 US Representatives addressed to Robert Gates for the involvement of RCAF officers in human rights violations in Cambodia, Tea Banh denies this information, claiming that they were not true.
Tea Banh declared: “The army brigades 31, 611, 70 and up the bodyguards unit of Samdach PM, that were raised in this [US Representatives’] letter, I also heard about this issue. I consider that the information contained in that letter to be all false. How can I say that they are false? They actually conducted a number of activities, such as regarding the grenade explosion [against peaceful demonstrators in front of the National Assembly] … in March of 1997, in this case, they (Cambodian soldiers) were working actively in the past, and the US even sent the FBI to work in this case. They (US Representatives) are not satisfied, they came to accuse [instead] … this means that there was no truth in this affair. Regarding the 911 [brigade], there was nothing, this is a brigade that performed good cooperation.”
Nevertheless, Tea Banh admitted to VOA’s Taing Sarada that, due to human rights violations, a number of army officers, whom Tea Banh declined to provide their names, were refused entry visa to the US.
Taing Sarada: Does Your Excellency have any mechanism to guarantee that the group of Cambodian army officers who violated human rights do not reap the benefit from the US?
Tea Banh: Let me tell you this in short: when the US takes a decision, it’s never a normal affair, they work on the details. I want to say that, if there is something that is not right that surfaces, and it affects the US policy, the US will send the information [to us] immediately. Truthfully, right now, there are a number of [Cambodian army] officers who are refused entry to the US. There are a number of them, I don’t want to talk about it now, because I want to continue to educate these officers so that they can change. It’s nothing major. There are a number of them, they are not that many.”
However, he recognized that a number of high-ranking army officers were denied entry visa by the US because of human rights violations.
The denial and the recognition by Tea Banh took place during his answer to questions raised by RFA and VOA reporters in the morning of Tuesday 22 September, following Tea Banh’s official meeting with Robert Gates, the US Secretary of Defense, on Monday afternoon.
In response to a question asked by RFA regarding the questions raised by 8 US Representatives addressed to Robert Gates for the involvement of RCAF officers in human rights violations in Cambodia, Tea Banh denies this information, claiming that they were not true.
Tea Banh declared: “The army brigades 31, 611, 70 and up the bodyguards unit of Samdach PM, that were raised in this [US Representatives’] letter, I also heard about this issue. I consider that the information contained in that letter to be all false. How can I say that they are false? They actually conducted a number of activities, such as regarding the grenade explosion [against peaceful demonstrators in front of the National Assembly] … in March of 1997, in this case, they (Cambodian soldiers) were working actively in the past, and the US even sent the FBI to work in this case. They (US Representatives) are not satisfied, they came to accuse [instead] … this means that there was no truth in this affair. Regarding the 911 [brigade], there was nothing, this is a brigade that performed good cooperation.”
Nevertheless, Tea Banh admitted to VOA’s Taing Sarada that, due to human rights violations, a number of army officers, whom Tea Banh declined to provide their names, were refused entry visa to the US.
Taing Sarada: Does Your Excellency have any mechanism to guarantee that the group of Cambodian army officers who violated human rights do not reap the benefit from the US?
Tea Banh: Let me tell you this in short: when the US takes a decision, it’s never a normal affair, they work on the details. I want to say that, if there is something that is not right that surfaces, and it affects the US policy, the US will send the information [to us] immediately. Truthfully, right now, there are a number of [Cambodian army] officers who are refused entry to the US. There are a number of them, I don’t want to talk about it now, because I want to continue to educate these officers so that they can change. It’s nothing major. There are a number of them, they are not that many.”
13 comments:
of course, let's learn from the USA. in the USA, gov't only go after the one who committed wrongs, not his family, not his friends, ,etc, unless they are found to be associated or involved directly to the crime, etc... this is what cambodia ought to learn from american system, only punish the real criminal, not his family, etc as they did not commit crime and so forth. wake up, people, learn from america, be smarter!
THe problem with Tea Banh is not about knowing that some of his mlitary leaders who are not allowed entry to USA because of human right abuses. Can he sacks these these military officers for these human right violation so that Cambodia can only keep good officers to care for people?
If he daren't to sack these criminals, then , he will be one of them too.
Areak Prey
From a very poor country, but Tea Banh's big diamond ring and his golden watch can feed the whole nation.
hey, it's a khmer thing that people like to wear nice jewelry. you don't know how much they have saved to invest in such precious things. every khmer family invested in personal jewelry. nothing's wrong with that!
#1. Tea Bahn needs a new suit.
#2. I would like to be part of an investment strategy like the strategy used by Cambodian government officials who make $200 a month in salary yet own homes and cars with values of over $1 million. They cheat.
5:14 AM Bling, Bling, Bling.......
Man, that's not fair I've lived in USA over 30+ plus years and never owned Rolex, Versace, Diamond nor Mercedes. I hope for windfall one day, just a buck could change your life forever. We already knew what they've done to our citizens in srok Khmer and don't even speculate about it.
That is the problem folks, many CPP high and low ranking officials are only colorful officers, stealing and robbing from the country and citizens.And claiming that the country is poor is so pathetic, but yes because cambodia's wealth have been stolen and with many masters inside and outside. That is why CORRUPTION laws has been dragged all these years. Incompetence and corruption, anythingelse to be learnt just ask the master, VIET.
Things can't be hidden forever.
I am glad now that ADB starts to wake up to the reality in Cambodia.
And hopefully our king starts to act upon prescribed duties in national constitution agreed to international communities for the sake of saving image and cambodia's integrity and her people.
I am not and never will be against monarchy as individual, but appropriate measures need to be addressed and play by responsibilities.
Neang SA
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Executions
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
Tea Banh speak khmer hard to understand.May be he is not khmer.
How come he keep this post for so long.I don't know what reason that Robert Gate aggreed to seat down and talk with this guy.
Most of the Cambodian high ranking guys are Yuon or Siam or other nation. Hunt Cent is purely Khmer but his brain is lobster's brain and Yuon's puppet-slave.
2:56 PM They all Viet-number leader! Only Huynh Sen is 99.9% Khmer, most them are mixed race.
politics as usual. people should be given advice for improvement, etc. in cambodia, not just useless criticism, really! if they want to be helpful, otherwise, it is useless to just run their dirty mouth, really!
Damn! look at that golden watch and diamond Ring! poor khmer people don't even have cleans/running water...
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