03/06/2010Agence France-Presse
PHNOM PENH – A corruption watchdog on Saturday condemned a Cambodian government plan to use private businesses to sponsor the country's military units.
London-based Global Witness said the plan announced by Cambodian premier Hun Sen last week, in which 42 private businesses will partner with individual military units, "threatens to undermine the legitimacy of international aid".
"This fire-sale of military units represents an appalling breach of governance standards and threatens to undermine the country's future stability," said Global Witness campaigns director Gavin Hayman.
The group called on international donors to denounce the scheme, saying it would undermine aid from the US, EU, Japan, China and others.
"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," Hayman said.
International donors pledged nearly $1 billion in development aid to Cambodia for 2009, and the US spent more than $1 million on Cambodian military financing and training last year.
The strongly-worded statement by Global Witness, which also accused Cambodia's military of being "a vast organized crime network", called the government plan "tantamount to sanctioning a mercenary force".
"It is unacceptable for private companies to be financing a military renowned for its corruption and involvement in illegal activities and human rights abuses," said the statement.
Cambodian cabinet spokesman Phay Siphan denied Global Witness accusations that there was graft among the country's armed forces.
"The watchdog doesn't know the culture of sharing among Cambodians... The donation is an issue of humanitarianism, there is no mixing between the private sector and the military," Phay Siphan told AFP.
The Cambodian government has banned past reports by Global Witness, which accused donors of ignoring graft among elites, who have allegedly been involved in illegal logging as well as shady oil and mining deals.
London-based Global Witness said the plan announced by Cambodian premier Hun Sen last week, in which 42 private businesses will partner with individual military units, "threatens to undermine the legitimacy of international aid".
"This fire-sale of military units represents an appalling breach of governance standards and threatens to undermine the country's future stability," said Global Witness campaigns director Gavin Hayman.
The group called on international donors to denounce the scheme, saying it would undermine aid from the US, EU, Japan, China and others.
"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," Hayman said.
International donors pledged nearly $1 billion in development aid to Cambodia for 2009, and the US spent more than $1 million on Cambodian military financing and training last year.
The strongly-worded statement by Global Witness, which also accused Cambodia's military of being "a vast organized crime network", called the government plan "tantamount to sanctioning a mercenary force".
"It is unacceptable for private companies to be financing a military renowned for its corruption and involvement in illegal activities and human rights abuses," said the statement.
Cambodian cabinet spokesman Phay Siphan denied Global Witness accusations that there was graft among the country's armed forces.
"The watchdog doesn't know the culture of sharing among Cambodians... The donation is an issue of humanitarianism, there is no mixing between the private sector and the military," Phay Siphan told AFP.
The Cambodian government has banned past reports by Global Witness, which accused donors of ignoring graft among elites, who have allegedly been involved in illegal logging as well as shady oil and mining deals.
May Buddha and Preah Ko&Preah Keow save People Khmer.
ReplyDeleteThe action-packed, heart-rending conclusion of this important Khmer legend, which touches on Khmer identity, history and environmental issues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrBbRN-5YOA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1aUKptmeXI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIbO_EWrphg
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrOddarMeanChey#p/u/23/aHMHq69jHSQ
Does anyone have any examples of armed forces in other countries that are sponsored by private business. Navy seals sponsored by Coke, Microsoft sponsoring the French Foreign Legion. Although private security firms like Blackwater have been very successful in Iraq and Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteWe are waiting and see how you manage military operations in Afghanistan and Irak.
ReplyDeleteGlobal Witness should provide recommendations on how to win the hearts and minds of the Afghani and Iraki and how to finance military operations over there.
We should hang all of this traitorous scum after selling their Lexus, Cadillacs, homes and all the other products of their theft.
ReplyDeleteHow many more evident and event does the international donors need to get rid of the hun sen government? It seems more like time wasting over and over.
ReplyDeleteThe idiot Hun Sen always acts the opposit of what he wants, he said he want stability, he test weapon, he said he wants peace, he jail Khmers land grabbing victims and oppress opposition.
ReplyDeleteSerious investors will not make their business in Cambodia.
4:29pm seem confusing big time. Those are their hard earn money. For example, Microsoft made billion of dollars, by discovering and inventing computer chips and computers that sold across the globe on their own. Their money are theirs giving by God giving gift which is their talent.
ReplyDeleteSo they can do whatever they want. Beside, they had also giving to their government by paying taxes over what ever they earnt. Microsoft fortune was over $ 40 billions and you can imagine the profit taxes that they have to pay to the US's government. In Cambodia, the suckers use the money that are from the donor countries. They don't have the money from God giving gift talented like Microsoft people do. Shame on you. They use the money again from the donor countries that was supposed to help poor and unfortunate Cambodian people like my family, but instead they use them to kill or making them suffering and it just plan wrong. Who do those people think they are? and you are too dumb to be Cambodian :)
4:29 was half breeded by vietnam.
ReplyDeleteVietnam owes alot to the russian.
ReplyDeleteBeside, someone should punch phy siphan in the mouth for being a spokemen of the currupted regime.
It's a new scheme to launder dirty money brought in from Singapore that some rich generals amassed and stored at home. In order to be cleared from investigation,Hun Sen military sponsorship idea is a best tool to legitimize all the cash.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine what happen to poor Cambodian when bussinessmen are soldier and when soldiers are businessmen?
ReplyDeleteWe see a lot of reports about military involving with land crabbing and illegal logging and many bad activities. Now Mr. Hun Sen call for more cooperation between military and private sector.
What a crook? Soldiers turned into businessmen!
ReplyDeleteInnovative business development methods proudly made and invented in cambodia!!!
ReplyDelete6:47,
ReplyDeleteAmen brother! Perhaps, 4:29 can't distinguished between a donors and a private sector. Nevertheless, all donors country should cease all involvement with a country that use tax payer hard earned money to oppress it's people.
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
ReplyDeleteMembers:
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.
my guts feeling is that critics don't like to see cambodia doing this because they think money could be put to use in other area for better living, care, etc... i can see their point of view, however, i don't necessarily agreed with their view, though. i think cambodia, having potential threat form thailand and some other countries out there, must reserve the right as a sovereigned nation to maintain national defense strategy, etc... and this is one way to maintain that right. of course, money could be used for other things, however, we cannot ignore our military readiness and training as well, it goes hand and hand with other development in the country as well. it's like saying why should cambodia worry about watering our lawn when money could be used for other things, well in that case it's not like cambodia is lack of water in the country, it's a matter of improving the technology to use or deliver the water to be used properly, whether for the lawn, for consumption, etc... and for those of you out there who tend to have narrowl-minded view or worst biased views on cambodia, etc..., it is time to wake up and smell the coffee. yes, there are more to cambodia than you and i, really! must we say more, really!
ReplyDeleteGlobal Witness can only said, but can't do anything to Hun Xen. Gov.
ReplyDeleteInternational donors still give aid to the corruption Khmer Gov. to help khmer people.
Only khmer people can make decision to change their dictator Gov.
Learning not to 'bank' on foreign aids is a good step to take. I hate to see Cambodia run by foreign interests. I tend to side with Hun Sen on this stubborn action. May be good will come out of this without many manipulations from the outside.
ReplyDeletepeople often misunderstand about cambodia is that survival takes precedence over all things in cambodia, and the stupid KR regime did teach khmer people that very concept. however, due to the cycle of civilization and the nature of how we understand this cycle of civilization, time will come in circle in cambodia as we naturally will shift from one mode to another better mode as time improved, etc... so, it takes a very wise man to understand this cycle of civilization, really! nothing is set in absolute standstill in time as time waits for no one and life goes on with the cycle of civilization and cycle of nature as well. god bless my beautiful cambodia all khmer people and citizens.
ReplyDeletewho knows, 10m 20 or 30 or 50 years from now, cambodia will transform itself into a mighty developed, growth country, etc,,, god bless.
good point, mr. hun sen is stubborn. now stubbornness isn't always bad. being stubborn is a sort of resistance to outside influence, really. we all need to be stubborn sometime, especially is we don't agree with something or someone who tries to impose their personal believe on us, really! despite all this, maybe it is a blessing in disguise for cambodia, really! god bless and god accept all of us as who we are, really! go cambodia.
ReplyDeleteyes, like they say, there are a lot of fish in the seas. who says we have to stick to one, really!
ReplyDeletethis logo shows a vietcong walk out is ass up
ReplyDeletewhy don't global witness go complain to thailand for military exercise near cambodia's preah vihear and the annual cobra gold with the USA in the gulf of thailand, etc... why they have the guts to pick on cambodia only? we say get lost already or better, get another job, please!
ReplyDeleteshut up already, i was made in cambodia, you know!
ReplyDeleteStupid and incompetant leader like ah kwak hun sen knowing NOTHING but injecting mafia like cult in Cambodian society. die die die die mother fucker....die of plane,and car crash!
ReplyDeleteTHE BEST EXAMPLE OF A SOLDIER TURNED INTO BUSINESSMAN IS DICK CHEYNEY, THE USE VICE PRESIDENT, WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE IRAK WAR OPERATIONS.
ReplyDeleteTHE US TAXPAYERS WILL PAY VERY DEARLY IN TERMS OF HUMAN AND FINANCIAL COSTS FOR THE IRAK WAR, WHICH BENEFIT RICH OIL COMPANIES AND THE INDUSRIAL MILITARY COMPLEX (THE WORD INVENTED BY FORMER US PRESIDENT EISENHOVER)
Hear Ye The Word Of God...
ReplyDeleteMicah 4
1But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
2And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.