Cable Dump Reveals Vetting of Cambodians for San Diego Military Ops

July 20, 2011
By Matt Potter
San Diego Reader (USA)

Wikileaks, continuing to release its trove of purloined U.S. diplomatic cable traffic, has posted an unclassified message dated February 23 of last year to the U.S. State Department from the American embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

It discusses the need to check out the human rights record of a pair of Cambodian generals set to arrive in San Diego the following month "to attend the US Military Installation for Civil-Military Operations and Army Training."

"To comply with the Leahy amendment relative to U.S. sponsored training," the cable says, "the U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh has conducted local human rights vetting for the following individual to attend the US Military Installation for Civil-Military Operations and Army Training, March 15-April 5, 2010 in SAN DIEGO, California."

Violent general to be jailed and ordered to pay compensation

General Keo Monysoka, a child and teachers beater, was sentenced to one year in jail but saw his sentence reduced to 10-day of jail instead! It pays to be a general after all!

17 March 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Preah Sihanouk tribunal held a closed door hearing in the afternoon of 16 March 2010 in the lawsuit against one-star General Keo Monysoka aka Keo Soka as planned, even though the general has some health problem and is currently being hospitalized. The hearing started at 2:30PM ended at 5PM and the court charged the accused on inflicting injuries and sentenced him to one year of jail time, but the sentence was reduced to 10 day instead, beyond these 10 days, he will remain out of jail and all his duty will be pulled as he will become an ordinary citizen. He was also ordered to pay 4 million riels ($1,000) each to two teachers as damage compensation and 10 million riels ($2,500) to the mother of the child he beat. Keo Monysoka is the deputy Navy commander in Ream, he used violence to beat up a young boy and two other teachers because of a dispute between the child he beat and the general’s child. People revealed that the violent general is currently being hospitalized due to high blood pressure that is why he could not attend the hearing.

Hun Xen’s generals: They are embezzler, can’t read map, incompetent and thief of state properties

Hun Xen unmasks four 3-golden-star generals during an army seminar

Thursday 28 Jan 2010
DAP news
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Hun Xen issued strong warnings while revealing bad and illegal deeds perpetrated by a number of high ranking generals, some of whom were involved in cheating the army. During the closing of an army seminar held in the afternoon of 28 January 2010, Hun Xen warned that the action taken by 4 generals led to the decline of the army.

The direct warning issued by Hun Xen to 4 famous high-ranking army generals was done with the aim of erasing corruption and irregularities so as to bring progress to the army.

The 4 generals named by Hun Xen are: (1) 3-star general Chhoeun Chan Thorn, aka Mao, who is the commander of Chea Xim’s bodyguard unit; (2) 3-star general Sum Somnang, the director of the supply and finance of the ministry of Defense; (3) 3-star general Chao Phirun, the technical director of the ministry of Defense; and (4) 3-star general Ung Samkhan, the former navy chief of staff and currently the RCAF deputy chief of staff.

During the closing of the seminar summarizing the work completed by the RCAF for the past 5 years and setting the direction of the upcoming 5 years, held in on 28 January 2010, Hun Xen issued strong warnings to the 4 generals who were involved in embezzling soldiers’ salary, incompetent management of armaments, sale of army facilities and lands, backing up contraband to evade tax, etc…

The first general that Hun Xen hammered was Chhoeun Chan Thorn, aka Mao. Hun Xen warned: “Now, you demand to be the RCAF deputy chief of staff. The other day, I told you: ‘How many years are you really in the army?’ I wrote back to [Tea] Banh: ‘He does not have sufficient ability. Ah [derogative] Mao does not even know how to read a map, how can I let him become the deputy chief of staff. Also, he is climbing beyond his rank and he is using other people’s rank and even their names. This cannot be done, let’s make it clear.”

During that occasion, Hun Xen also told the minister of Defense and the RCAF chief of staff that any troops movements information must be transmitted to him because in the past, this information was not passed on to him in advance. On this issue, Hun Xen said: “The minister of Defense and the RCAF chief of Staff, when there is troop movement from one location to another, you must let me know, you cannot just do it. In the long run, you take all the troops from their bases to put elsewhere and the PM does not know about it. But, the PM is here, I am telling you: the PM rules the army, I’m no puppet PM.”

Hun Xen also cited as an example the transfer of army unit 31 to the navy, in this case, the decision requires a sub-decree from him. Therefore, including all these problems, Hun Xen told the minister of defense and the army chief of staff that they must inform him in advance.

The second general hammered by Hun Xen was Sum Somnang, the director of army supply and finance, because the latter embezzled 2,500 riels ($0.63) from each soldier when Hun Xen provided them with a 5,000 riels ($1.25) food stipend during their training period. Hun Xen said: “Sum Somnang, what did you do when I gave out money for training? At midnight, Tea Banh went [to meet you] and you denied, but Tea Banh can’t grasp it. I gave out additional food stipend of 5,000 riels ($1.25) for each soldier during training , Sum Somnang you gave them only 2,500 riels each. That day, if it were not for Tea Banh begging me I would have taken you out already.” Hun Xen added: “Then you went on to say that it was for reserve, your duty is not to set the reserve, it is my duty to set the reserve, or it is the ministry of defense’s duty. This is not your duty.”

At the same time, Hun Xen also ordered the elimination of the RCAF army supply department and merge it with the ministry of defense’s supply department instead, in order to avoid deep work confusion.

On this point, Hun Xen indicated that: “The accountings are overlapping, the work is duplicated, the ministry of Defense has this department and the chief of staff has this also, so, for this case, merge them both together to end it. There will be one document and the story ends there, there is no need to review much because the more you review, the more problem there is.”

The 3rd general blasted by Hun Xen is General Chao Phirun, the technical director of the ministry of Defense. Hun Xen warned him by saying: “Chao Phirun, about your warehouse: after the latest visit, how is it? The ammunitions that can be fixed, the rifles that can be fixed, they are left to waste in the warehouse besides those that were burnt down in Battambang province.” Regarding this issue, Hun Xen explained that, lately, he is in direct charge of supplying armaments, money and uniforms to soldiers, because in the past, he provided funds in US dollars, a lot of dollars, but the commanders and the fund administrators did not use the funds for the right reason, they went out and bought useless stuff and they did not serve the actual goal.

The fourth general hammered by Hun Xen was General Ung Samkhan, the former navy chief of staff and the current RCAF deputy chief of staff. Hun Xen scolded the general because he was involved in the sale of the navy headquarter, however, the documents [for the sale] were destroyed by Hun Xen. Regarding this general, Hun Xen said: “Ah [derogative] navy chief of staff who was inaugurated last Monday, he almost disappeared, and it was the work of Ah Mao [General Chhoeun Chan Thorn] again. But, I smashed those documents and I called Ah Khan [General Ung Samkhan], telling him: ‘Ah Khan, do you want to be the soldier anymore or not?’ He used the pretext that there is no KR anymore. Oh Mother! The headquarter existed since the French [colonial] era, even if there is no KR anymore, this headquarter is still very good.”

At the same time, Hun Xen also took the opportunity to publicly announce that anyone who uses the Hun family name, including his name, that of his wife, children, and children-in-law, with the aim of conducting illegal activities, Hun Xen ordered them to be arrested first because in the past, there were people who used the Hun family name in violation.

Hun Xen added: “I am telling you, whoever it is that use the Hun family name, or my children’s name or my children-in-law’s name, arrest them first. I am asking you to help arrest them first, because in the past, there was even a case of [river] sand dredging involving my children’s subordinates.

[To be continued ...]

Savage and incompetent acts by Cambodian leaders rewarded by 5 golden stars

Hun Xen receiving his 5-golden-star award

23 December 2009
Free Press Magazine
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Unlike other countries in the world where those who are honored are the ones who are skillful, famous and noble for their nation and people, in Cambodia, savage, cruel and incompetent people are honored instead. It was very surprising yesterday when the Cambodian king bestowed titles of 5-star general, the highest army ranking title, to the CPP government leaders. Those who were honored included Hun Xen, Chea Xim and Heng Xamrin, individuals who are severely criticized for human rights violations, for allowing neighboring countries to invade Cambodia – especially the Yuons who encroached on Cambodian territories along the east.

In particular, what is most deceiving was the fact the [Hun Xen’s] government deported 20 Uighurs asylum seekers back to communist China where these political asylum seekers could be killed in exchange for 1.2 billion dollars in Chinese loans.

The action by the Cambodian government should be severely condemned, but instead it was rewarded. This action is ridiculed by both Cambodians and the international community, all of whom are looking for improvement and peaceful life.

Nevertheless, some commentators indicated that what is important to the current Cambodian leaders are: their subservience to foreign interest, their betrayal of national interest, their intention to weaken and frighten the Cambodian people so that the latter would not be able to stand up against the foreigners, in particular those foreigners who are invading Cambodia. Indeed these are the so-called qualities that earn them their rewards – rewards for the destruction of their own nation.

Cambodia's natural resources looted by "kleptocratic mafia"

The close-knit circle first dynasty of Cambodia

Cambodian elite and army accused of illegal logging racket

• 'PM and family complicit as troops loot forests'
• Watchdog says world's donors turn blind eye

Friday June 1, 2007
John Vidal, environment editor
The Guardian (UK)

Cambodia is being systematically stripped of its natural assets by a small elite of politicians, relatives of its prime minister, and businessmen working with the army the government's former official independent forestry watchdog said yesterday.

Global Witness, the UK-based human rights and environment group which monitored Cambodia's forests for the government until it was thrown out of the country in 2006, says logging is in the hands of a "small kleptocratic mafia". In a report today they accuse officials and senators of misappropriating public assets, extortion, tax avoidance, looting the forests and managing an extensive illicit economy under the eyes of the international donors who turn a blind eye but give the country $600m (£300m) annually in aid.

The group claims to have uncovered evidence of heavily armed soldiers from an elite army unit with close connections to senior politicians, including the prime minister, Hun Sen. Brigade 70, says the report, transports logs and other smuggled goods from all over Cambodia for tycoons and politicians, and the timber is sold to Vietnam or sent to China.

"These timber trafficking activities are worth many millions a year and the profits are split between timber traders and the brigade commanders," it says. Brigade 70, which has a reputation for violence, is also hired by Cambodian industrialists to smuggle alcohol, sugar, cigarettes, perfume, drugs and construction materials for prominent tycoons, says the report.

"The armed forces are major players in logging and drug trafficking. They have kept up an assault on the country's forests that does not pretend to be legitimate. Many units are stationed around forests and carry out illegal operations geared towards enriching their commanders."

Yesterday the Cambodian government declined to comment on the report. In the past it has threatened to prosecute the group. Letters sent to people identified in the report, including the prime minister, were not answered.

Cambodia has one of the world's worst deforestation rates. Since 1970, its virgin forest cover has fallen from over 70% to 3.1%. Global Witness investigated illegal logging in Cambodia and its links with corruption and human rights abuses in 1995. The group was in 1999 appointed independent monitor of Cambodia's forestry crime monitoring programme with the help of the UK government and other international donors, and Prime Minister Hun Sen staked his job on the crackdown on logging.

In the 1990s illegal logging was so rife that the IMF cancelled a $120m loan and the World Bank suspended aid.

The government suspended commercial logging but in 2003, Global Witness reported a rebound in the illegal trade which it linked to relatives of the prime minister and Brigade 70. Following threats of prosecution by the government the organisation was ejected from Cambodia in 2006 and the prime minister declared that the group was "finished".

The new report, which was compiled in London from material gathered secretly in Cambodia, estimates the trade could be worth "tens of millions of dollars a year." It accuses Hun Sen of "building a shadow state on patronage, coercion and corruption" with family members actively involved in corrupt business dealings. It says the armed forces are involved in high-level deals via secret military development zones that cover 700,000 hectares (1.7m acres) of forest and other land.