Cambodian military units on parade. Cambodia is pushing ahead with a plan to introduce compulsory military duty, lawmakers said, despite earlier criticism over the government's failure to shrink an already bloated army(AFP/File/Philippe Lopez)PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia is pushing ahead with a plan to introduce compulsory military duty, lawmakers said, despite earlier criticism over the government's failure to shrink an already bloated army.
Under the law, which is expected to take effect in 2008, any Cambodian between 18 and 30 years-old is eligible to serve an 18-month tour of duty, said legislator Yim Sovann, who chairs the parliamentary commission now reviewing the law, originally approved by the cabinet in 2004.
"We want to nurture patriotism in our next generation of youth because every citizen has the duty to defend and build the nation," he told AFP.
Conscription could add as many as 10,000 people to Cambodia's armed forces each year, he added.
Cambodia's military now stands at over 112,000, but as many as 40,000 of those soldiers are either disabled or elderly and unable to carry out their duties.
Corruption plagues the military, where commanders often pay for their commissions, creating a bloated officers' corps that includes thousands of generals, colonels and majors.
Dead or discharged soldiers are also frequently kept on the payrolls so commanders can collect their salaries for themselves.
Donors have struggled for years to reduce the country's armed forces, which grew as the result of decades of civil war and are riven by various factions.
The government demobilised 15,000 servicemen in 2001 and agreed to cut back by another 15,000 in 2002 under a World Bank-funded program.
But the discharges never occurred and the bank suspended its demobilisation efforts a year later after contract discrepancies were uncovered
Yim Sovann acknowledged that demobilisation was an obstacle, saying "the government still has no plan to discharge current soldiers" and that some progress would have to be made before the conscription law goes into effect.
Under the law, which is expected to take effect in 2008, any Cambodian between 18 and 30 years-old is eligible to serve an 18-month tour of duty, said legislator Yim Sovann, who chairs the parliamentary commission now reviewing the law, originally approved by the cabinet in 2004.
"We want to nurture patriotism in our next generation of youth because every citizen has the duty to defend and build the nation," he told AFP.
Conscription could add as many as 10,000 people to Cambodia's armed forces each year, he added.
Cambodia's military now stands at over 112,000, but as many as 40,000 of those soldiers are either disabled or elderly and unable to carry out their duties.
Corruption plagues the military, where commanders often pay for their commissions, creating a bloated officers' corps that includes thousands of generals, colonels and majors.
Dead or discharged soldiers are also frequently kept on the payrolls so commanders can collect their salaries for themselves.
Donors have struggled for years to reduce the country's armed forces, which grew as the result of decades of civil war and are riven by various factions.
The government demobilised 15,000 servicemen in 2001 and agreed to cut back by another 15,000 in 2002 under a World Bank-funded program.
But the discharges never occurred and the bank suspended its demobilisation efforts a year later after contract discrepancies were uncovered
Yim Sovann acknowledged that demobilisation was an obstacle, saying "the government still has no plan to discharge current soldiers" and that some progress would have to be made before the conscription law goes into effect.
6 comments:
We want to nurture patriotism in our next generation of youth because every citizen has the duty to defend and build the nation," he told AFP
The above quote is quite good,and thoughtfull about our nation.
But, is that justice for the Cambodian people? where the high ranking officials turn Cambodia into their private business, misappropriate the money donated by the world community for their own gain, and human right obuses thu out the country. It is a shamefull acts to me.
Shouldn't that quote be.
We want to make our next generation into CPP, that is to defend the the motherland vietnam from the invasion of Laos and Thialand.
Give me a brake! Cambodia can't even feed themselves and now AH HUN SEN want to create an army?
Just for the information! Most of these Cambodian soldier are Vietcong trained by birth!Cambodia under AH HUN SEN had agreement with the Vietcong to send 500 Cambodian people to Hanio every year to be trained as soldier or a killer like Pol Pot!
So what make any Cambodian people think that these Cambodian soldiers will protect Cambodia?
I can smell a new war will start soon. Be ready....
Folks, let's not be nagative of Cambodia. As bad as it has been seened of Cambodia's military, the problem can be fix. Everyone seem to be so hopeless of Cambodia. Cambodia is entering a new chapter in its history. The new millenium is bring Cambodia more and more hopes for resurrection to be among the great ASEAN members. Cambodia is being pressured nationally and internationally for self improvement, whether politically, economically, socially, evironmentally, or militarily. Cambodia is much better than anytime after the Khmer Rouge. So, I have no hopelessness for Cambodia.
Khmer rouge and cambodian people party are no good... Yuon puppet to the whole world. Kept the majority of Khmers poor and ignorant for ever.........
You are really suporting that right?
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