Viet "dung" reception for Phat general

Viet dung

will greet...

Phat general Neang

PM greets Cambodia Defence Ministry’s Secretary of State

23/08/2012
VNN/VOV/VNA

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam and Cambodia have maintained a time-honoured friendly and neighbourly relationship which has grown steadily in all fields, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at a reception for the visiting Secretary of State of the Cambodian Defence Ministry General Neang Phat in Hanoi on August 22.

PM Dung said that General Neang Phat’s visit will make a practical contribution to boosting comprehensive cooperation between the two armies as well as the two nations.

The Prime Minister also expressed his hope that the two sides will cooperate more closely in personnel training, joint sea patrols and naval activities, as well as coordinate at regional forums, especially the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

Khmer soldiers who are stationed along the borders complained about the lack of food

Khmer soldiers eating their meal at the Preah Vihear frontline.RFA Photo/Uy Sophea

Radio Free Asia
By Zakariya
5th November, 2008
Translated by Khmerization

Khmer soldiers who are posted along the borders in Koh Kong province and Samlaut district in Battambang province have appealed on Tuesday 4th for more food to be provided to the soldiers who are stationed along the borders.

A soldiers, who is posted along the borders at Koh Kong Mountain or Mount One Hundred and who want to remain anonymous, has said that the 40 soldiers posted in the area are appealing to the leaders to provide them with more food. He said: “When we arrived here, we did not have anything to eat. We only had 2 Bra fish to eat and every night we have to go fishing and catching fishes for our food.”

The same soldier added: “We appeal to the government to eliminate corruption so that our soldiers won’t be starved anymore.”

A soldier posted at the borders at Samlaut district in Battambang province have said similar thing like the soldiers from Koh Kong. He said: “We don’t have enough food to eat. In one month we received one kilogram of fish paste (prahok) and 10 packets of instant noodles for 8-10 soldiers. Some of us went to bring food from home or money from home to buy food.”

He added: “We want to request to the government to pay attention to our food supplies. We don’t want much, just instant noddles, canned fish, canned food and other foods just enough for us to survive.”

Radio Free Asia cannot contact commander of the Koh Kong border areas for the comments.

But commander of the Intervention Forces of Division 12, Gen. Srey Doek, said that there is no problem with the food supplies to the soldiers protecting the borders. He said: “It is normal. There is no problem”.

Borders soldiers, including those from the Preah Vihear regions, have been posted along the borders for more than 3 months. Other than supports from the government, they have received supports from the people inside Cambodia as well as overseas Khmers.

An official of the Ministry of Defence, Gen. Neang Phat, has acknowledged that the salary of Khmer soldiers are still low.

The government has just announced the doubling of the national defence budget for 2009 to $US500 million.//