Press Release – 05/03/2010Source: Global Witness
"Since the end of Cambodia's civil war, the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces has operated as a vast organised crime network" - Gavin Hayman, Campaigns Director at Global WitnessAid donors to Cambodia, including the US, EU, Japan, China and the World Bank, should send a strong message to the government that they will not countenance the bankrolling of Cambodia's military by private businesses.
The call follows the announcement last week by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen of the formation of 42 official partnerships between private businesses and Cambodian military units. The partnerships will "solve the dire situation of the armed forces, police, military police, and their families through a culture of sharing" according to a government memo.
Global Witness is concerned that this policy officially sanctions an arrangement where businesses get military protection in return for financial backing. A number of the companies named as military sponsors already have track records of using the military to protect their business interests. For example, Global Witness's 2009 report, Country for Sale, described how the Try Pheap Company used armed forces to guard a mine in Stung Treng Province.
Other high-profile Cambodian companies allegedly providing sponsorship include the Mong Reththy Group, the Ly Yong Phat Company, and the Chub Rubber Plantation Company.
"Since the end of Cambodia's civil war, the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces has operated as a vast organised crime network," said Gavin Hayman, Campaigns Director at Global Witness. "It is unacceptable for private companies to be financing a military renowned for its corruption and involvement in illegal activities and human rights abuses."
The arrangement also threatens to undermine the legitimacy of international aid, especially in the case of donors such as the US who are directly funding the military. In 2009 the US spent more than $1 million on military financing, education and training in Cambodia.
"Yet again, Cambodia's donors are being mocked by the government's blatant violation of basic governance and transparency standards. The existence of a strong patronage system between the military and private business is not new. But what is different and shocking is that it has become official government policy," said Hayman. "Donors should send a firm and decisive message that Cambodia's military exists to protect the people, not the financial assets of a privileged few."
"This fire-sale of military units represents an appalling breach of governance standards and threatens to undermine the country's future stability," said Hayman. "The donor community has collectively poured billions into the restoration of peace and democracy in Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Surely they are not going to stand by and allow this to be undercut by a policy of selling off the armed forces to private business interests? This is tantamount to sanctioning a mercenary force."
/Ends
Contacts: Eleanor Nichol, +44 (0)7872 600 870
Notes for Editors
1.Global Witness has worked in Cambodia for over 15 years and published 18 reports on corruption within the management of the country's natural resources. For examples, see www.globalwitness.org
2.The policy of military-business partnerships was first reported in the Cambodia Daily on Friday 26 February in an article titled Businesses Tie Official Knot With Military. For a full list of companies and military units allegedly involved, contact Global Witness.
3. In the 2009 financial year, the US spent an estimated $1,106,000 on Foreign Military Financing and International Military Education and Training in Cambodia, according to the US Department of State's Executive Budget Summary: Function 150 & Other International Programs Fiscal Year 2011, accessed at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/135888.pdf
16 comments:
Hun Sen is being crazy by promoting weapon test while Cambodia needs to encourage investor to come in.
CPP should remove this incompetent leader.
I think "YOUN" is a common language can't be used to compare to "Nigger" cause "YUON" means "thief" or "stealer".
WHICH IS TRUE CAUSE VIETNAMESE PEOPLE ARE "YUON" or "THIEF" STOLE MY FAMILY FORTUNE AND LIVES. DAM STEALER KEEP WEARING YOUR DUON^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^CAUSE I KNOW YOUR JUST A THIEF!
A common appeal TO "YANKEE" MEANING "COWARD" FOR NATIVE AMERICAN INDIANS.
SO AS "DOU PAI" EASTERN FOLKS OR "JAPANESE" SOME TIMES IS RACIST ALSO? CHINESE STILL USED IT.
SO SORRY FOR UNEDUCATED HUN SEN REGIME PLEASE READ MORE BOOKS!
TELL HUN SEN TO READ MORE BOOKS CAUSE HE PRETTY DAM DUMB TO BE PM.
WHY DO YOU THINK ALL VIETNAMESE ALSO SAY HUN IS MY SLAVE AND I AM HIS SHEPARD.
FAT BAT CAT OR CHAT. READ DUMBO.
Lok 9:32 nijay tha:
"I think 'YOUN' is a common language can't be used to compare to "Nigger" cause 'YUON' means "thief" or "stealer"."
You just contradicted yourself and made the whole point for Hun Sen's propaganda again. I wonder lok, if you are really defending Khmer language or pretending to defending our Khmer language so you can inject your misleading propaganda.
On which and whose authority for definition did you get the word Youn to mean thief and robber?
But even if you are a Khmer nationalist, Your extreme hate of Hun Sen and your jokes to mock him only causes further misunderstanding and mislead the western readers.
Please have some mind and intelligence to set things straight and realize that not everybody can appreciate your joke or even understand your sarcasm.
I don't know if you are intentional in doing this or you're just a really narrowed minded person.
In any case, your topic is not in the right article. See below for Mr. Kenneth So article to reply. Let us talk about the industrial-military complex topic that relate to this article instead.
Thank you,
Sai Rndul
What's wrong if private citizen or business entity donate food, dig wells, donate beds, or build housing for military's family!! This is just humanitarian aid to help the poor soldiers' families.
Why the global witness making a bit deal about this! Don't they have anything else more importance to do!
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Kek Iev
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
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
Members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
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
Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.
"But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
Executions
Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Journalists
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
Embezzlement
Treason
Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation bomb on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Lightning strike many airplanes, but did not fall from the sky. Lightning strike out side of airplane and discharge electricity to ground.
Source: Lightning, Discovery Channel
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.
Nothing stranges about it since Cambodian people elected the most stupid, and incompetant person to run the Country.
This is the modern world and that kind of military supports are not new. The US Military forces and some others western countries did the same for defending their own country, but also to support the politic and economic of their own government-interest.
Sound to me, some people are still living in the ghetto and love to dictate others.
Please open your eyes and your ears.
time to kill HUN SEN and his family
i am OK with Mr 2:39 PM
it's time to eliminate hun sen's and sihanouk's family .they are all
traitors of nation .
KILL THEM SOONER.
ONE OF A TRU KHMER PEOPLE
3:32 PM
Better you kill all Khmers now, and than you will able to tell the world, you are the only true Khmer.
But other sure will call you "Displaced People"
Global Witness should take this opportnity to finance the whole army during this fire sale and use the forces to apply the policy for change,yes we can.
Those who are talking about killing are Khmer Rouge. If your clan taking control of Cambodia, where will be another blood bath. Way to go, keep killing Khmer and when we all extinct, the Viet just walk over and take the land. So dam it, stop talking about killing anyone. HS, Sihanouk royal family, and all the CPP are Khmer too.
There is a plan to break SRP party by stealing this party's name. Sam Rainsy should come back to face the court but should say everything it should say before coming to serve prison sentence
i think when it comes to cambodian national defense, there ought to be a compromise because critics may not like to see this kind of military exercise, however, khmer people may see it differently like a national defense strategy, etc... so, who is global witness to sound an alarm when they themselves failed or ignorant to understand the needs and for cambodia to conduct such military exercise. i guess you have to love khmer way and khmer things in order to understand why khmer did what we did, really! now are they complaining about the technical way the military is doing it, or are they saying that cambodia should never conduct military exercise like this despite potential threat from siem thugs, etc? obviously, critics like global witness do not see things the way khmer people see it in cambodia. now global witness is not cambodia, are they? because when they are not cambodia, they do not understand the important of having national defense in cambodia, you know! perhaps, global witness group should give a constructive criticism to gov't of cambodia if they wanted to help, if not why bother to be stationed in cambodia in the first place, really! saying cambodia this or that is just an excuse to be biased with cambodia, and who needs a biased group like that anywhere in any country, really! why should cambodia tolerate this kind of extremist group like the view of global witness and so on! there's more to cambodia than global witness, you know!
global witness is a corrupted organiser for its owns interest. khmer army need to strengh their defense so what's your fuckn problem. u just looking @ israel, liban, palestine, irak and some african countries, those countries got so much money to do whatever they want, especially israel who got a big aids from usa to strenghten their army against palestine, and khmer army just got some donnations from private business and u urge the helper country to stop to cambodia, you're a sun of bitch, hunsen should deport them out of cambodia and not allowed them to come back.
RCAF generals are just a bunch of fat thiefs in uniform with no military skills or formal education whatsoever. That's why Cambodia is still a fucked up third world.
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