Cambodia dismisses US retaliation over Uighur deportations

Fri, 02 Apr 2010
DPA

Washington/Phnom Penh - The Cambodian government on Friday brushed off reports that the United States has suspended shipments of military vehicles.

The announcement by the US State Department on Thursday was in response to Phnom Penh's deportation in December of 20 Uighur asylum seekers to China. The Chinese Muslims had fled to Cambodia last year.

"It's no problem for Cambodia - no problem at all," Cambodian foreign affairs spokesman Koy Kuong said. "It is the right of the US government to donate or suspend its military aid."

Koy Kuong said Phnom Penh stood by earlier assertions that in deporting the Uighurs it was merely following its own immigration laws, adding he had not heard whether the US would take further punitive steps.

But he again denied the deportation was in any way connected to China's announcement, subsequent to the deportations, that it would provide Phnom Penh with 1.2 billion US dollars in grant aid.

Washington strongly objected to the deportations, saying Phnom Penh had failed to follow international asylum norms.

US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said Thursday that Washington informed Cambodia on March 19 of its decision to suspend the delivery of trucks and trailers.

"As we said, there would be consequences for their failure to live up to their international obligations," Crowley said.

The US fears that the Uighurs would be subjected to abuse if returned to China, and has refused to repatriate Uighurs held at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility who were captured in Afghanistan.

Later this year Cambodia is to host thousands of soldiers from the United States and countries in the Association of South-East Asian Nations regional bloc as they take part in the US-led Global Peace Operations Initiative. The initiative is designed to improve the capability of peacekeeping operations.