Thursday, January 28, 2010

Cambodia won't send troops to Afghanistan, Iraq

2010-01-27
Associated Press

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday he will not send peacekeeping troops to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Hun Sen said some countries, which he did not name, had requested 1,000 Cambodian de-miners be deployed to Afghanistan.

"I will not send Cambodian sons to die in those two countries," he said in remarks at the groundbreaking for a new road in the central province of Kampong Thom. "The Cambodian people have seen enough war and suffered enough casualties from land mines."

Cambodia was wracked by almost three decades of war and unrest after a 1970 military coup and became one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. It has trained a large corps of skilled de-miners.

In April 2006, Cambodia sent 135 soldiers to help U.N. peacekeepers clear mines in war-torn Sudan. Hun Sen, however, rejected requests from the U.S. to deploy Cambodian troops to Iraq that same year. He said he questioned the overall legitimacy of the war in Iraq and that it was too dangerous for Cambodians to operate there.

In early 2009, Cambodia sent several dozen troops to Chad and the Central African Republic.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

cambodia is for peace keeping only, not active war participation at this time, ok!

Anonymous said...

I agree with PM Hun Sen, it's not a good idea to go to Afghanistan and Iraq country...Nop!

Anonymous said...

I support the decision the PM of the Royal Cambodian Government.
We Khmer knew very well, the war destroyed almost our Khmer society.
Khmer-Europe

Anonymous said...

Actually Hun Sen has no real Khmer troop to send out, only Viet troop that he has now.

Anonymous said...

... and you're one of them, idiot!

Anonymous said...

No comment at time.

Anonymous said...

I mean No comment at this time.

Anonymous said...

I believe that if we send Cambodian troops to Iraq and Afghanistan they will learn how to be combat ready. Who knows? The U.S. could help train our military so we are better prepared for urban warfare. Those of you who are for peace must be mistaken, it is the belief in peace that led to the downfall of Phnom Penh. TRAIN OUR SOLDIERS!