PHNOM PENH, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The United States has refused a request by Cambodia to write off $317 million in debt, but has instead agreed to reschedule the impoverished country's loan repayments, a top U.S. official said on Tuesday.
The United States also declined to convert the debt into development aid but would work out a plan for Cambodia to pay back the loans, which date back to the 1970s, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel said.
"The U.S. position is that Cambodia has recognised its debt," Marciel told reporters during a visit to Phnom Penh. "We think Cambodia should begin the payment, which the Cambodian government has not been willing to do."
The loans were given to the government of Lon Nol after it came to power in a 1970 coup backed by the United States. The loans were intended to develop the country's agriculture sector and boost commodities exports.
Lon Nol was toppled five years later when the ultra Maoist Khmer Rouge staged its "killing fields" 1975-1979 revolution, which left an estimated 1.7 million people dead and plunged Cambodia into decades of dire poverty and political instability.
The two countries have long disagreed about repayment of the debt and Cambodia has argued the money was spent on arms which were ultimately used on its own people.
China in 2002 cancelled Cambodia's debt from the 1970s, which was estimated by embassy officials to be worth between $60 million and $1 billion.
Marciel, Washington's top official in charge of Southeast Asian affairs, plans to plans to visit Laos and Thailand in the next week.
(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
The United States also declined to convert the debt into development aid but would work out a plan for Cambodia to pay back the loans, which date back to the 1970s, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel said.
"The U.S. position is that Cambodia has recognised its debt," Marciel told reporters during a visit to Phnom Penh. "We think Cambodia should begin the payment, which the Cambodian government has not been willing to do."
The loans were given to the government of Lon Nol after it came to power in a 1970 coup backed by the United States. The loans were intended to develop the country's agriculture sector and boost commodities exports.
Lon Nol was toppled five years later when the ultra Maoist Khmer Rouge staged its "killing fields" 1975-1979 revolution, which left an estimated 1.7 million people dead and plunged Cambodia into decades of dire poverty and political instability.
The two countries have long disagreed about repayment of the debt and Cambodia has argued the money was spent on arms which were ultimately used on its own people.
China in 2002 cancelled Cambodia's debt from the 1970s, which was estimated by embassy officials to be worth between $60 million and $1 billion.
Marciel, Washington's top official in charge of Southeast Asian affairs, plans to plans to visit Laos and Thailand in the next week.
(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
38 comments:
Why the today Cambodian government have to pay for. The debts were from the time of the Government of the Khmer Republic. It was an US Alien and fully supported by the US-Army and Government. These people are responsible for these $ 317 millions. Most of them spent their life more or less in the US after the fall of Cambodia in 1975.
This is a political pressure from the US.
Talking about providing loans for Cambodia's agriculture sector and boost commodities exports, in 1970 - 1975? What?????? There was nothing to develop. US already dragged Cambodia into their quitting war. The whole country was ravaged and consumed by war, fighting, and killing. Nobody could plant or reap anything excepting fighting the US's war. Those pathetic and symbolic loans were just a token for Lon Nol who foolishly went along with the coup that was fully supported by the US. Remember the US already quit and conceded their Vietnam War since 1968.
What they should be talking about is the US should compensate Cambodia instead.
China should pay this debt for Cambodia to insult USA avenging then Taiwan nuclear bombs purchasing from USA.
A debt is a debt...Pay up or else? Hun Sen pocketed billions and billions of dollars from Cambodia.
HUN SEN is Cambodia (according to HUN SEN himself), and HUN SEN must pay back the debt. The rule of the debt has no past or present clause in it. It's that simple.
^^^^^ you can eat the Cambodians' shorts for repayments of your blood-on-your hands loans.
U.S.! Somlap Ah Kwak Kbot Cheat Hun Xen.... The new leader will find ways to pay this debt as needed!
Debt is debt! Not paying is just like stealing.
ei: You barrow someone money to gamble and you lost it all. So you don't have to repay? Make no sense...
Yeah like your stupid brother-in-law borrows some money from a mafia and loses it all in a gambling, like you said, and then you instead get roughed up to pay off that debt.
12:31AM, soud like you the borther in-law who have done it.
US visit made by US Asst.Sec. of State to Phnom Penh when Bangkok is flexing its muscles with military exercises over its dispute over Preah Vihear isn't coincindental.
US aged loan is a thorn to Cambodia's self respect.Also US's attitude in seeing business is business nothing personal.
Siam ,old US GI vacationing home during its war against Yuon and old ally,will play all its cards via US to pressure Hun Sen to face up his tough talks.
Also Hun Sen should never underestimate Siam armed forces might and diligence.Its politicians are leveheaded and successful in world diplomacy since 1700 unlike Cambodia.
Remember Siam beat Khmer Empire then French in 1942 to occupy Battambang and Angkor provinces?
Ms. 12:31 AM, Ma'ammm!
Don't do that...don't compare things like that...because ah HUN SEN himself is a Mafia. You know how the Mafia's life is all about, right?
Catch you later..cuz your mafia is watching....
12:31am, don't even have a brother in law. sounds like the comparison hits closer to your home.
And pussy cat 12:43am, "Ma'ammm!" what the heck is that?
Meant to type 12:39am not 12:31am for above posting.
cambodia should ask USA for forgiveness of this loan in exchange for something else,really. it sounds unfair for the loan was given to the ill-fated former regime of corrupted lon nol. now that regime was history and destroyed by stupid KR. it's not right for innocent new generation of cambodia to have to pay for something they did not benefit from, really! cambodia should use diplomacy to ask for loan forgiveness from the USA. please leave politics separate from this because there are a lot of innocent khmer people that believe we should not have to repay that loan that they did not benefit from it, you know!
Don't set it free. Let HUN SEN gov pay the debt because him and his CPP clans are so rich. With all those money they could have paid the USA back already.
Case close.
1:46AM, Yes it doesn't sound right! Also in addition to all old unpaid loan Hun Kwak have barrowed more billions from China alone. Hun Kwak regimes owed others alot more then ever in the history of Cambodia. You know as well where those money goes to. For sure not to improve Cambodia and its citizens. This also sad for future generation have to deal with Hun Kwak debts.
Hahaha I wonder why the US did not ask for repayment when the KR were in power. You know why, because the KR would tell the US to get lost :))
I say, don't pay the dang loan that Lon Nol borrow. The money should be US arm assistance to Lon Nol, and then they lost the bet, now why the heck they ask for this money from current Cambodian government. This is so dam stupid!!
Yeah, they can't do that. They lost the war and lost the bet. They can't make other to repay the debts.
This is so wrong!!!
Shame on nation that wanted to refuse the nation debt. Dare Hun Sen file bankruptcy for Cambodia ? The debt won't easily delete from Cambodia credit if Hun don't.
We owed $6,700,000,000.00.
wrote off $317,000,000.00.
__________________________
balance $6,383,000,000.00.
ASK THE GOV'T TO RELEASE FIGURE ON DEBTS OWED TO VIETNAM. ANYONE KNOWS HOW MUCH? YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED OF THE NUMBER SO FAR. THIS IS WHY THEY SELLING OUT LANDS TO REPAY THEIR DEBTS. MORE EXPROPRIATION OF PEOPLE'S LAND ARE ON THE WAY. THE LAW HAS JUST PASSED. GO FIGURE AND KEEP VOTING FOR THESE TRAITOR, YOUR LANDS COULD BE NEXT !!!!!!!
I CHOSE TO BE AN AMERICAN NOW, AND NOT A ZERO-SOUL, ZERO-IDENTITY, ZERO-CONSCIENCE KHMER GROUP OR INDIVIDUALS - PLENTY OF THEM BY THE WAY WHO ARE NOW PROUDLY, SILENTLY, DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY DESTROY THEIR OWN RACE AND THEIR ONLY NATION. SHAME TO ALL...
317 millions is nothing compare to the billions that HUN SEN's administration owed the world now and, have to be paid by the next generation.
A few months ago Heng samrin went to RUSSIA to beg RUSSIAN for debt forgiveness and was refused outright by the Russian so, just pay what your country owed.
this debt as other debt including vietcong debt that Cambodia owe, is mostly for war trade which killing millions of innocent life
PRESSURE HUN SEN TO RELEASE FIGURE ON NATIONAL DEBTS OWED TO EACH FOREIGN GOVERNMENT. ASK FOR TRANPARENCY, AND YOU WILL BE SURPRISED TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH THEY WANTED TO HIDE FROM YOU. THE NEXT GOVERNMENT WILL FIND ITSELF IN A MESSY DEBTS, AND ALL OF THOSE STUPID KHMERS WILL HAVE TO PAY UP FOR ALLOWING HUN SEN TO PLUNDER THEIR COUNTRY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS AND STILL AS AN ON-GOING PROCESS.
The loan was lent to Cambodia to serve the U.S purpose or so called bribed to general Lon Nol. This loan had done more harm and good to which it gave rise to the recruit of KR soldiers of widespread corruptions and prostitution from the U.S soldiers; which was considered evil things in society.
As we all know the U.S was the major player to downfall Cambodia to the hands of the KR and ultimately millions of our population perished and millions more have PSTD until today. In my opinion, even this millions it will not pay for all the suffering Cambodians have been through...
Everyone of us owed a debt that we could not pay, that is why all need to die on behalf of that debt!
What is that debt? SIN.
Thankfully that debt been paid in full by the man call Jesus the Son of the living God. Yes, your sin debt can be forgiven when you acknowledge your inability to pay back what you owed to secure eternal life which was lost through sin by the first man, Adam.
In Adam all die: In Christ Jesus, all shall be made alive.
Now, are you insisting on paying for your sins, which you can never do, or are you willing to receive the forgiveness for that sin?
Secretary of the Kingdom
of heaven. Wisconsinite
If it was for Israeli, this loan probably was long gone.
i think it leaves to more debate with this issue!
$300 millions is like three thousand to the US. It's a joke. Someone was right,kr should be the one that should pay for it, but there was no shadow of American in Cambodia to even talk about it. Not even one and 2 millions Cambodian died of this terrible conflict, yet a loan must be paid.
agree that 2 millions lives had already paid for that debt. where is the justice for cambodia and khmer?
Even with a trillion with the exponential of a trillion of dollar are not equal to the lost lives of those 2 million Cambodians caused by that stupid Vietnam War adventure.
This is blasphemy and indignant.
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! USA
Die Die Die Cambodian PM and Cambodian Town old farts long bitch! hahahahah! what a bunch of welfare shit heads in Cambodian Town Long Bitch!
that's unamerican and will not help cambodia's situation.
12:04 PM,
I agree dude! we should not help these low life creatures like Cambodian in Cambodian town long bitch ever again.
The $317 million is the blood money and it is a curse just give back to American!
Since American leaders help promote trade in the billion of dollars with Cambodia and why $317 million is so hard to pay back? This is what I don't understand?
317 million is less than bonus to a New York bank CEO during the crises last year? American left too many gifts on Cambodian soil before 1975 (deaths under the American bombs). So it's too hard now to forgive the money they lent to Lon Nol for corruptions. If they clear this crime debt, there will be nothing left on their conscience. Khmer American should petition to get it clear anyway. It doesn't smell good. What a shame! President Obama, yes, you can!!!
Lon Nol is on Hawaï soil. Ask him to pay back the loan.
This is why Americans will never have its infuence here in Cambodia, but China. This shit American will never understand this.
Without the need to save face for the US, China can come in easily and pay this off on Cambodia's behalf behind the scence. And that will be no more of the US's shit talk about Urghurs.
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