Die for the country and your widow will receive … $1.88 per 3 months from the government, when she can at all

Mrs. Et Khamta is showing the meager benefit she receives from the government.

Thursday 04 August 2011
[Pro-CPP] Koh Santepheap Daily
Translated from Khmer by Botum Soriya

Stung Treng – On 02 August, a woman who was leaving the provincial office of the welfare and veteran affairs department was complaining that the office paid her only a meager 7,500 riels ($1.88) per 3 months for the loss her husband, a soldier who was killed on duty by the KR in the 80s.

63-year-old Et Khamta was the elderly woman above. She lives in Phluk village, Phluk commune, Sesan district. She said that Nou Orn, her husband, joined the militia in Phluk village during the People’s Republic of Kampuchea era (Heng Samrin’s puppet regime). During his patrol in Sesan district, Nou Orn was killed a KR sniper. His name was registered in the welfare and veteran affairs department, but she did not how much the benefit she can obtain, only that every three months, the department of welfare sends her the money through other villagers.

She added that on 02 August, she went to cash out the benefit money directly from the welfare department. She received 7,500 riels ($1.88) after paying the association due. She complained that with 7,500 riels, she couldn’t even pay the bus fare back home because they charged her 15,000 riels ($3.75). Furthermore, in order to come and cash the benefit, she had to sell one of her chickens which earned her an income of 25,000 riels ($6.25) for the trip expense. She said that for 7,500 riels in benefit, she cannot afford to come and cash it anymore because, at the end, she has nothing left.

Regarding this issue, Sea Kim Ser, the director of the welfare and veteran department, indicated that the benefit for each soldier killed on duty amounts to 6,000 riels ($1.50) only per month, but the department orders that the family of the deceased veterans must produce a death certificate issued by the local authority, with that these families must become a member of the veteran association which is chaired by no other than Hun Xen himself.

Sea Kim Ser added that, out of the 6,000 riels paid in monthly benefit, a due of 3,500 riels must be paid to the veteran association, so that only 2,500 riels ($0.63) is left each month for the family of the soldier killed on duty. Therefore, his department can only pay to the soldiers’ families once each trimester, i.e. each family that filled in all the paperwork requirements only received 7,500 riels ($1.88). Sea Kim Ser said the contribution by family of the soldiers killed in duty to the association is used to pay a planned amount of 4,000,000 riels ($1,000) per family.