Indonesian soldiers parade during the multi-national exercise Angkor sentinel 2010 at Kampong Speu province, some 60 kilometers west of Phnom Penh on July 17, 2010. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) and United Nations resident coordinator Douglas Broderick (L) look a photo exhibition during the multi-national exercise Angkor sentinel 2010 at Kampong Speu province, some 60 kilometers west of Phnom Penh on July 17, 2010. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) looks at demining equipments during the multi-national exercise Angkor sentinel 2010 at Kampong Speu province, some 60 kilometers west of Phnom Penh on July 17, 2010. (Photo courtesy: AFP)KAMPONG SPEU, Saturday 17 July 2010 (AFP) - Cambodia opened its first ever large-scale international peacekeeping training exercise with a ceremony Saturday at a military base south of the capital.
Over 700 military personnel from 23 countries will participate in two weeks of field training during the "Angkor Sentinel" exercise, focusing on developing nations' contributions to UN peacekeeping operations.
"From a country that used to receive blue hat soldiers to help keep peace, Cambodia has become a country that sends blue hat soldiers to help keep peace in other nations," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said, referring to UN troop uniforms.
Cambodia was the focus of a UN peacekeeping mission in the early 1990s to help end decades of civil war, but has recently deployed troops to work as UN peacekeepers in Chad, Sudan and the Central African Republic.
But the exercise, co-sponsored by the US Army, has been criticised by New York-based Human Rights Watch for using the grounds of the Cambodian military's ACO Tank Unit, which has been accused of being involved in illegal landgrabs.
"For the Pentagon and State Department to permit abusive Cambodian military units to host a high-profile regional peacekeeping exercise is outrageous," said Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director, in a statement.
"The US undermines its protests against the Cambodian government for rampant rights abuses like forced evictions when it showers international attention and funds on military units involved in grabbing land and other human rights violations," he added.
The "Angkor Sentinel" is part of the 2010 Global Peace Operations Initiative, a US effort to help train peacekeepers around the world.
Over 700 military personnel from 23 countries will participate in two weeks of field training during the "Angkor Sentinel" exercise, focusing on developing nations' contributions to UN peacekeeping operations.
"From a country that used to receive blue hat soldiers to help keep peace, Cambodia has become a country that sends blue hat soldiers to help keep peace in other nations," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said, referring to UN troop uniforms.
Cambodia was the focus of a UN peacekeeping mission in the early 1990s to help end decades of civil war, but has recently deployed troops to work as UN peacekeepers in Chad, Sudan and the Central African Republic.
But the exercise, co-sponsored by the US Army, has been criticised by New York-based Human Rights Watch for using the grounds of the Cambodian military's ACO Tank Unit, which has been accused of being involved in illegal landgrabs.
"For the Pentagon and State Department to permit abusive Cambodian military units to host a high-profile regional peacekeeping exercise is outrageous," said Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director, in a statement.
"The US undermines its protests against the Cambodian government for rampant rights abuses like forced evictions when it showers international attention and funds on military units involved in grabbing land and other human rights violations," he added.
The "Angkor Sentinel" is part of the 2010 Global Peace Operations Initiative, a US effort to help train peacekeepers around the world.
19 comments:
The US, just like any other country in the world, looks after its own interests first then human right issue. However, the US has its own way of hiding its hypocrisy.
When pressuring and encouraging Cambodia during the 60s to join SEATO, the US refused to take seriously Prince Sihanouk's serious concerns about the violation of Cambodian territory in the east and west by the South Vietnamese and Thai forces who were US allies.
The unwillingness of the US to guarantee Cambodia's territorial integrity from being violated by Cambodia's rapacious neighbours was one of the reasons why the Royal Government of Cambodia under Prince Sihanouk chose to remain neutral and worked hard trying to balance the influencing powers of the communists against the imperialists.
It is too bad Cambodians could not stick together as a united and undivided nation, but allowed themselves instead to be used by the foreigners.
Anet Khmer
Thank to United States for valuable assistance in promoting Angkor sentinel in Cambodia.
Obviously cambodians are easily trained and developed, but please do not forget to train PM to come to sense with NOT abusing cambodian as well.
And how soon do you want to use this special force in Iraq and Afganistan.
Can anyone tell me why is it necessary for Hun Sen to wear a uniform? Is he a military commander or a priminister? I am so sick to see this bastard wearing
a uniform because uniform is to be worn by those willing to serve and sacrify for the country and not for personal interest or an interest of a political party.
Anet Khmer: I like your posting above. I like the way you present the fact.
Khmer k
Kampong Speu has always been the land for miltary bases and activity. Great to see this happen in my Province.
Hailing,
Kampong Speu
HUN XEN EMPIRE!
PM Hun Xen (Jungle)
PhD Hun Xen (Hanoi)
Gen Hun Xen (*****)
Between 1970-75 he hated the Gen. Lon Nol' Soldiers Uniform like his uniform today, during that time the PM weared "a cheap Black Uniform, Killing fiels" but now he wear uniform like Lon Nol's soldiers at the some period. Is that uniform comfortable? or Uniform paper's tiger like his henchmen said between 1970-75? or this uniform as symbol for imperialism army And what's next ?
Khmer
Anet Khmer
You addressed the real issues that happened to Cambodia by the west and what caused King Sihanouk to reach out to China, while some of the people don't understand the King's's actions.
In 1953, then prince Sihanouk went to exile in Thailand demanding that he'd return until France grant Cambodia her independent. After WWII, Prince Sihanouk then asked the US and the European superpower nation UK to recognize Cambodia' neutral power while surrounded by nations civil war, none of them accepted his request.
The US didn't interfer its allies Thailand and South Vietnam invading Cambodia from east and south, but claiming that Cambodia was not important like its allies. From then on what avenue Cambodia had at that time beside looking for China to protect her?
China funded by the Soviet Union with billion of dollars to take Indochina from the US, then Cambodia fell into communism.
Every nation has its game, and while Soviet leader Stalin, gave a green light to Ho Chi Minh to take Cambodia & Laos, Soviet leader said he didn't trust the Vietnamese, then he groomed China to supervise Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh trail was built by China-Viets funded by the Soviet.
The US foreign policies have never been clear to help Cambodia but to let her dies. Helping Lon Nol was too late, because almost the whole country fell to Communists. Even the US supported Lon Nol, but Lon Nol didn't change the form of his government at all. He had the Royal family member prince Sirimatak as the PM of the republic. What kind of Republic was that? If Sirimatak really loved republic he should had renounced his title "Prince".
Then Lon Nol had his young brother Lon Non a mafia leader of his fake republic. His young brother terrorized the republic until Washington made him stop. Not even that Lon Nol regime was too corrupted and cost the US a high price with his imaginary soldiers that didn't exist but only on papers. How could the US win the war?
This time the US should be serious about Cambodia, or Americans will keep losing jobs to China.
11:13 PM
Why we always love talking about the past. and lost a lot of times.
Cambodia is our country or the country of our parents or grand parents, therefore we all better look forward and try to help our Country and our Khmer people as good as we can.
I'm Gay,
Well said. It is very important one to know or to find out the reasons or motives behind every actions. Otherwise one could never understand the whole picture and this will surely lead to a game of blame. At the end we don't even know that we use a good deal of our colective energy and time for a very unproductive purpose. In order to constructively and effectively help Cambodia we all need to carefuly look at the past from an unbias perspective and only than we use that complete knowledge to unite, rebuild and move the country forward in the most effective and efficient way. We greatly need the the effectiveness and efficiency in order to for us to get rid of a devil dictatorship and foreign domination. That should be the gold of every Khmer. Thanks for your indepth contribution.
Khmer k
11:30pm
We have to know the facts from the past what did go wrong if we want to correct the mistake that may happen again in the present or future.
Only a DICKtator still enjoy wearing battle field uniform.
Why wasting time arguing with the idiots. ?.
god bless my country cambodia.
I've got a pelican briefcase which contains Hun Xen's fate inside. I'll be seeing him in from of the cross hairs of my scope...........
To: I'm gay,
Lon Nol did not terrorize the country. He actually created a campaign during his time in power against the Vietcong and the illegal youn which were living and migrating to the country around that time. If I was to compare Lon Nol to Hun Kwack's regime, I would say Lon Nol was the more patriotic leader who would've worked for the development and safety of our land.
It said in one US document that his young brother named Lon NON terrorized the republic, and he was stopped after his return from Washington. It said Lon Nol didn't change the form of the government to a real Republic, he kept the royal to rule as it was. Most decisions made by PM Prince Sirimatak not Lon Nol. I didn't say Lon Nol was not a patriotic leader of Cambodia.
TO: I'm Gay,
Unless you're a Youn, Vietnamese sympathizer, or spy, you should watch these video footages on how Lon Nol campaigned and lead the people of the repuplic to protest and demonstrate against illegal Vietnamese immigrants, spies, and the VietCong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drBcDM55Ilc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6JJBivnHOY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqYm2B4qPQc
If you can't provide proof of the US document, don't just make any unreliable statements, as what maybe stated on documents of the past, can very likey be forged only to cover up for their past mistakes on abandoning the alliance with the former Khmer Republic.
why some people argue with history? hey, you cannot change history,ok! so, just let it go and learn from it, that's all!
4:24am
Lon Nol ends with an "L" was the general, and his young brother ends with an "N". The young brother was a mafia who terrorized the republic.
What side are you on?
Mafia Lon Non? Republic of Lon Nol or Sirimatak the Royal Prime Minister?
I'm not referring the General's campaign for the sake of Khmer nation, I shared this quote been written by the ones who supported him with air support and dollars to keep him in power and his regime functioning.
The general's young brother the mafia with bulletproof car and the corruption among Khmers army, and roughly 1/3 of the Khmer military existed only on paper. Upon his return from Washington he became a spiritual man.
I only shared the info said "Lon Nol did not change a new form of his government, he still a royal man with Prince Sirimatak as his Prime Minister.
Why trying to cover up and trying to smear my info? Sooner or later people will know.
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