Young Men Flocking to Join Local Militias

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
23 October 2008

Hundreds of young men have volunteered to join local commune militias in Oddar Meanchey province since the beginning of a border conflict with Thailand in July, officials said Thursday.

Between 500 to 1,000 young men have joined militias in all five of the province's districts, to bolster the nation's defenses in case of attack from Thailand as an ongoing border standoff continues, said Oddar Meanchey Governor Pich Sokhen.

Tensions between the two nations increased last week, following armed clashes at three sites near Preah Vihear temple.

The numbers of recruits had risen surprisingly high in recent weeks, Pich Sokhen said, but was due to months of tension between Cambodians and Thais on the border and some attacks of Cambodians.

"The recruitment of the militia right now we keep only for security in communes," he said. "But if the border becomes more tense, and they need the forces, we will send them directly to join the army."

Militia members can be recruited under a Ministry of Defense law and sent forward if trouble arises, Pich Sokhen said. None of the militiamen are currently armed with guns, he said, but many of them have knives, axes and clubs.

Officials in the border provinces of Preah Vihear, Banteay Meanchey, Pailin and Koh Kong reported no increase in militia recruitment Thursday.

The militia policy of the armed forces sets a maximum of 15 young militiamen, aged 18 to 30, per village, according Ung Narin, a forestry administration official in the Oddar Meanchey's Banteay Ampil district, who attended a commune meeting Wednesday where local leaders discussed recruitment.

Meanwhile, military commanders from Thailand and Cambodia met in Siem Reap Thursday in an effort to diffuse a new round of tensions in a border conflict.

Thursday's meetings took place between low-level secretariats, who discussed an agenda for a broader meeting between commanders on Friday, when the prime ministers of both countries are also expected to meet in Beijing.

Cambodia Recruiting Militias On Border With Thailand: Officials

PHNOM PENH, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- Cambodian provincial and military officials said they are recruiting militias along the border with Thailand, to protect frontier villages if hostilities erupt again amid a territory dispute between the two countries, national media reported Thursday.

Some 2,400 Cambodians have already volunteered to serve in the paramilitary units in Oddar Meanchey province alone, China's XINHUA news agency quoted Deputy Governor Loun An as saying in the Phnom Penh Post.

"We are in the process of recruiting people for militias to protect homes and ensure security for people if there is a war with Thai soldiers," Loun An said.

"Militia members receive no salary and do not register with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), although they will get some sponsorship money," he added.

The Cambodian government has called for calm following last week's border clash that has resulted in the deaths of three Cambodian soldiers and a Thai trooper.

The violence has only encouraged more Cambodians to come to their nation's defense, Chuong Praseuth of the Banteay Meanchey provincial administration told the Post.

In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.

The tension later turned into a military stalemate, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.

In early October, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during sporadic exchange of gunfire and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine at the border area, the report said.