Jacob Gold and Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post
Meeting with the US defence secretary addresses greater military cooperation, though concerns linger about alleged rights violations by Cambodian soldiers.
CAMBODIAN Defence Minister Tea Banh met with US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates at the Pentagon in Washington during an official visit on Monday, Defence Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told the Post on Wednesday.
The agenda included improving military cooperation during humanitarian assistance scenarios and strengthening the capacity of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. The discussion also focused on regional security issues and cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
“We expect that the relationship between the RCAF and the US military will move close together after this high-level visit by the Cambodian defence delegation,” Chhum Socheat said.
The US has promised to sponsor Cambodia’s role in defence exercises scheduled for July 2010 and slated to involve more than 2,000 military personnel from countries across the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
Tea Banh is expected to arrive back in Cambodia today. The US embassy declined to comment further on the outcome of the meeting pending an official statement due to be released today.
US-Cambodian military relations have come under scrutiny from US congressmen following testimony by Human Rights Watch to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing in Washington earlier this month.
The NGO reported that since 2006 the US has provided training and material assistance totalling approximately US$4.5 million to Cambodian military units such as Prime Minister Hun Sen’s personal bodyguard unit, Brigade 70, Special Airborne Brigade 911 and Brigade 31 of the RCAF. Eight congressmen sent a letter last Friday to Gates inquiring about the connection between and US military aid and these units’ alleged human rights abuses, which the Cambodian military denied.
The meeting of the two nations’ defence chiefs comes ahead of a bilateral agreement, due to be signed by the US and Cambodia today, under which the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide Cambodia with US$7.79 million to help stimulate broader economic growth.
The additional funding will finance an expansion of USAID’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 2 and Business Enabling Environment programme, aimed at alleviating rural poverty by making family-owned businesses more productive, the organisation said in a statement released to the media on Tuesday. USAID expects to commit a total of $61.8 million in assistance to Cambodia this year.
CAMBODIAN Defence Minister Tea Banh met with US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates at the Pentagon in Washington during an official visit on Monday, Defence Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told the Post on Wednesday.
The agenda included improving military cooperation during humanitarian assistance scenarios and strengthening the capacity of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. The discussion also focused on regional security issues and cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
“We expect that the relationship between the RCAF and the US military will move close together after this high-level visit by the Cambodian defence delegation,” Chhum Socheat said.
The US has promised to sponsor Cambodia’s role in defence exercises scheduled for July 2010 and slated to involve more than 2,000 military personnel from countries across the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
Tea Banh is expected to arrive back in Cambodia today. The US embassy declined to comment further on the outcome of the meeting pending an official statement due to be released today.
US-Cambodian military relations have come under scrutiny from US congressmen following testimony by Human Rights Watch to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing in Washington earlier this month.
The NGO reported that since 2006 the US has provided training and material assistance totalling approximately US$4.5 million to Cambodian military units such as Prime Minister Hun Sen’s personal bodyguard unit, Brigade 70, Special Airborne Brigade 911 and Brigade 31 of the RCAF. Eight congressmen sent a letter last Friday to Gates inquiring about the connection between and US military aid and these units’ alleged human rights abuses, which the Cambodian military denied.
The meeting of the two nations’ defence chiefs comes ahead of a bilateral agreement, due to be signed by the US and Cambodia today, under which the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide Cambodia with US$7.79 million to help stimulate broader economic growth.
The additional funding will finance an expansion of USAID’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 2 and Business Enabling Environment programme, aimed at alleviating rural poverty by making family-owned businesses more productive, the organisation said in a statement released to the media on Tuesday. USAID expects to commit a total of $61.8 million in assistance to Cambodia this year.
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បើតាមខ្ញុំសង្គេតមើលអ្នកសាព័ត៍មានជាច្រើនមិនដែលយកបរមងាររបស់អ្នកដឹកនាំប្រទេសកម្ពុជា
មកសរសេរទេជាពិសេសវិទ្យុអាស៊ីសេរីវីអូរអេរបស់អាមេរិកាំងវិទ្យុទាំងពីរហ្នឹងគឺមានអាកប្បកិយាមិនសូវគោរពរាជរដ្ធាភិបាលប៉ុន្មានទេ។ខ្ញុំបាទដឹងថាអស់លោកលោកស្រីដែលបំរើវិទ្យុទាំងពីរហ្នឹងគឺជាជនបរទេសមិនមែនជាខ្មែរទេ។ក៏ប៉ុន្តែអ្នកទាំងនោះ
មិនមែនជាជនជាតិខ្មែរក៏ដោយក៏ត្រូវគោរពសិទ្ទិ
សេរីភាពរបស់កម្ពុជាផងដែរដើម្បីឲ្យជនបរទេស
ដែលមិនមែនជាឈាមជ័រជាខ្មែរគេមើលឃើញថា
ប្រជាជនខ្មែរពីដើមជាឈាមជ័ររបស់ខ្មែរហើយគេ
នៅគោរពគ្នានឹងគ្នាសាម្គីភាពរវាងរដ្ធាភិបាលនឹងប្រជាជនខ្មែរទូរទាំងប្រទេស។វិទ្យុទាំងពីរហ្នឹងមិនមែន
យករឿងអ្នកនយោបាយមករិះគន់ទេគឺគេយកបុគ្គលមករិះគន់ទៅវិញ។អត្ថបទមួយណាក៏មានមិនមានការរិះគន់រាជរដ្ធាភិបាលដែរគឺជាបុគ្គលសុទ្ធសាទ
ឧទាហ៍ណដួចយករឿងពលរដ្ធកម្ពុជាដែលលោក
រស់នៅបណ្តោយតាមផ្លូវរទះភ្លើងឥញ្ចឹងពួកគាត់មិន
និយាយថារាជរដ្ធាភិបាលលោកបានឲ្យពលរដ្ធខ្មែរ
ទាំងនោះទៅបោះទីតាំងនៅកន្លែងថ្មីទេគឺគេយកពាក្យបណ្តេញប្រជាពលរដ្ធខ្មែរទៅវិញនេះគឺជាពាក្យ
អសុរស់ដល់រាជរដ្ធាភិបាលកម្ពុជាមែនទែន។រិះគន់
ដោយប្រើពាក្យសំដីបែបនេះមិនមែនរិះគន់រាជរដ្ថា
ភិបាលទេគឺការញុះញង់ប្រជាពលរដ្ធខ្មែរដែលលោករស់នៅពាស់ពេញភិភពលោកឲ្យជឿតាមពួកគាត់
។បើតាមការគិតរបស់ខ្ញុំអ្នកទាំងនោះមិនមានសិលធម៍ចំពោះប្រជាជនខ្មែរទេថ្វីបើពួកគេរៀនសូត្របាន
ខ្ពង់ខ្ពស់មែនប៉ុន្តែមិនត្រូវប្រើនៅពាក្យសំដីតាមផ្នល់
មកនិយាយស្តីចំពោះរាជរដ្ធាភិបាលកម្ពុជាទេ។សូម
ប្រយ័ត្នឲ្យមែនទែនក្រែងលោប្រមុខរាជរដ្ធាភិបាល
លោកប្តឹងតបមកវិញហើយអាងអាមេរិកាំងជួយឬ?
អសលោកលោកស្រីនៅកន្លែងណាក៏គេអាចប្តឹងបានដែរកុំថាមិននិយាយហើយថាគេខ្លាចគេមិនខ្លាចទេ។ខ្ញុំដឹងហើយអស់លោកទាំងនោះនៅសហរដ្ធអា
មេរិកមិនមានជាលក្ខណជាខ្មែរទេគឺពួកគេជាជនបរទេសប៉ុន្តែកុំមើលងាយខ្មែរឲ្យសោះ។អ្នកទាំងនោះ
មិនដែលយករឿងបងប្អូនខ្មែរដែលលោករស់នៅ
អាមេរិកមកនិយាយទេដោយគេចាត់ទុកថាពល
រដ្ធខ្មែរទាំងនោះមិនមែនជាតិសាស្ត្ររបស់គេទេ។
Tea Banh is a left over from KR Regime. This man have no true ability to hold the highest military possition. His highest education level is from the jungle, banh tea (shoot duck).
His possition was appointed by his master Hun Xen and his granmaster YOUN.
who cares, people get educated all the time. just because someone has a mediocre background or what have you, doesn't mean they are incapable of holding higher office or become a capable. you type of think show elitist and bias against a person's background and so forth. that is so undemocractic and unjust, to say the least. out with the olf fashion, in with the new way of thinking in cambodia. this is not the dark ages, you know! people everywhere are being judged only by the content of the character and not so much of their connection or childhood background or whatever. i think we should look for good leadership quality and smart and clever with good vision and so forth. people nowadays don't really care about a person's background anymore, especially if it doesn't involve felony, crime, or what have you. god bless cambodia.
Cambodia Town
Long Beach, Ca
The SRP was a seriuos blunder, traitors by trying to block aid from donors countries, as consequences, sores loser were always failure.
Moreover, I am fully support USAID program to promote people to have it own small business.
New Phally
who says US and cambodia can't cooperate in military field. this could be a new era in the relations with USA and cambodia. there are more to cambodia than you and i, really. god bless cambodia.
I just heard Tea Banh on RFA today for the first time . This guy is 100% viet , just listen to the way he speaks Khmer you can tell .
New Phally has been trying his best to make SRP look bad .
New Phally , can you show me when , who and what did that person tell the donor Coutries not to make donations to Cambodia ?
I hope you didnt make it up because you don't like SRP .
hey, sometimes people who lived overseas for too long still speak and khmer at heart. but they become bilingual, thus not have clear khmer accent. the same can be said of khmer children living or born in the USA, france, etc... i think nothing wrong with that because, of course, people can learn to improve their language skills eventually. did you know back in the colonial days, most elitists khmer prefer to speak french, but that doesn't make people less khmer than you and i, you know. so, your argument is so outdated and bias in view, really, to say the least! i think patriotism, nationalism, and khmer at heart is better than non of these, you know. i don't usually judge people like that. cambodia needs everybody during time of crisis. those who wanted division is not a real leader nor a preferred one for cambodia, so gov't must control the extremists. don't be be siem gov't who can't seem to control the pad extremists. i mean, cambodia can learn from everybody, but that one pad thugs in siem is not good example in cambodia. we beg to be different, hello! smart, but different! god bless cambodia.
4:56 AM !
Your response doen't fit the comment above. Read it again and have another response .
I think 4:56 AM wanted to say something to defend Tea Banh accent but he didn't really know what to say that's why his response is not implicate to the statement above . He must be a guy who supports CPP .
Tea Banh, Vietnamese
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