CCNN News - Ke Kim Yan's plan for his useless 4 stars

Party factionalism looms behind Ke Kim Yan sacking: observers [-Saga of the CPP Dog eat dog world continues]

Kun Kim standing next to Hun Sen: Will he be the next loyalist to Hun Sen to take over Pol Saroeun? Stay tuned for the CPP dog eat dog world saga...

Thursday, 19 February 2009
Written by SEBASTIAN STRANGIO and THET SAMBATH The Phnom Penh Post

Court denies KE KIM YAN land investigations
STUNG Treng provincial court says it is yet to receive requests to open investigations into land owned by General Ke Kim Yan, despite unconfirmed reports the former army chief owns thousands of hectares in the province. A leaked report from a January 29 meeting of the Council of Ministers revealed Ke Kim Yan had been removed from his post in part for “using his military position to profit from land deals”, recommending he be investigated for land investments in Phnom Penh, Stung Treng and Preah Vihear. But police and court officials denied local media reports that they had been ordered to launch inquiries. “I am surprised to hear your question that officials and courts in the province are working to investigate land deals involving Ke Kim Yan,” said court director Sor Savuth. “I did not get any requests… to investigate this case.” Ke Kim Yan is listed as an advisor on the website of YLP Group Co Ltd, which is developing the Grand Phnom Penh International City satellite as a joint venture with Indonesian firm Ciputra. YLP Group, headed by Ke Kim Yan’s wife Mao Malay, also has planned developments in Preah Sihanouk and Kandal provinces.
THET SAMBATH AND HOR HAB

Analysts say allegations the deposed army chief was involved in shady land deals are being used to whitewash a purge of the military in line with decades-old internal party disputes

OVERWHELMING success in last year's national election set the stage for a reopening of long-standing factional disputes in the ruling Cambodian People's Party, culminating in the removal of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Commander-in-Chief General Ke Kim Yan last month, according to some political observers.

According to a leaked document from a January 29 meeting of the Council of Ministers, Ke Kim Yan's removal - which also saw the sacking of military police Deputy Commander General Chhin Chanpor - was "due to reforms in the military based on job performances" and "due to him using his military position to profit from land deals".

But political analysts and military sources say such pretexts are being used to paper over significant power shifts in the ruling party.

"None of these explanations can be taken at face value," said Carlyle A Thayer, a political science professor at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Sydney.

"The government says Ke Kim Yan's removal was a normal reshuffle, but this is belied by allegations he was involved in shady land deals and was not effective in support of [RCAF] troops during the border dispute with Thailand."

Cold War rivalries

Thayer said that internal disputes within the CPP - pitting one group loyal to Hun Sen against another loyal to party President Chea Sim - have plagued the party on and off for years, but that until recently the two factions had reached a stable modus vivendi.

However, with the defeat of its long-time foe Funcinpec at last year's national election, the party has begun to rearrange itself along the predominant factional fault lines.

"Hun Sen is set for another five years. He faces the problem of what to do with so many CPP deputies who have time on their hands, [which is] fertile ground for a revival of intense factionalism within the CPP," he said.

In the run-up to July's elections, historian David Chandler told the Post that an overwhelming victory of the CPP would be a double-edged sword for the ruling party, since it would "no longer [have] to look over its shoulder at opponents", and could be beset by "over-confidence".

Koul Panha, executive director of election monitor Comfrel, said it was possible that increased power had triggered fresh internal disputes but that it was "too early to say" how success would affect the CPP.

"FOR THE MOMENT, GENERAL POL SAROEUN IS HUN SEN’s STALKING HORSE, [but] GENERAL KUN KIM COULD PROVE TOMORROW’S MAN."

But the trigger for the shake-up, according to Thayer, was the death of National Police chief Hok Lundy in a helicopter crash in November, which destabilised the status quo by diluting the power of the police force - a long-time bastion of support for Hun Sen.

"Hok Lundy's death removed one of Hun Sen's staunch loyalists. His passing means that the police may not be as strong a counterfoil to the military as it once was," he said.

"In this context, Hun Sen's move to capture the leadership of the military may be seen as an effort to gain control of another base of power within the political system."

Meanwhile, other observers said the emphasis on Ke Kim Yan's alleged land dealings was merely a way of detracting from the political motivations behind his removal.

Jacques Bakaert, a Belgian journalist who covered Cambodia during the 1990s, said the timing of the removal was a chance for the prime minister's faction to reassert control over the armed forces - previously dominated by Chea Sim loyalists - and that land was merely being used as an excuse.

"It was probably convenient, given the accusations against him, to get rid of him now when there are continuous questions about land grabbing," he said.

One RCAF general, who fought with the anti-Pol Pot resistance in the late 1970s but declined to give his name, told the Post that the removal of Ke Kim Yan for owning land was hypocritical, since "many" military commanders and government officials were involved in the land business.

"It is not right to accuse him alone of being involved in the land business. They have legal and illegal land ... [so] why are they still at the top?" the source said.

Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann agreed, saying that there were many - especially those "loyal to high-ranking officials" - who could potentially be charged with similar offences.

"This is an internal conflict in the CPP. When they are not happy with somebody in the party, they always accuse them of doing the wrong thing," he said. "The law should apply to everybody, not only those who oppose the ruling party."

Ke Kim Yan declined to comment when contacted Monday. Government officials, however, have consistently played down talks that the CPP is beset by factionalism.

Speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs February 6, Prime Minister Hun Sen denied opposition claims of a split in the CPP, saying that "it is the right of the premier to manage and control the military, police and other public administration".

Bun Seng, RCAF commander of Military Region 5, also told the Post that it was not up to him to judge the reasons behind Ke Kim Yan's removal.

"Right or wrong is up to the top leaders to decide," he said.

Purging the military
What is certain, however, is that the replacement of Ke Kim Yan and the appointment of seven new deputy commanders-in-chief, has consolidated the prime minister's control over the upper echelons of the armed forces.

General Pol Saroeun, the new army head, has been a staunch Hun Sen loyalist since he took part in the eastern zone-led revolt against Pol Pot in 1978.

In the mid-1980s, he was appointed party secretary of Takeo Province, where he became an early supporter of Hun Sen's economic reforms and supported the removal of Heng Samrin as party leader.

The other new appointees - including Generals Chea Dara, Mol Roeup, Meas Sophea, Hing Bun Heang, Kun Kim, Ung Samkhan and Sao Sokha - are also known for their loyalty to Hun Sen.

Kun Kim in particular has long stood in the wings, acting in Ke Kim Yan's absence and carrying out personal orders from the premier.

A Phnom Penh source who declined to be named said that the conflicts between Ke Kim Yan and the prime minister began in 1997, during that year's fighting between army factions loyal to the CPP and Funcinpec.

"At that time Hun Sen wanted to use the national military to [fight] Funcinpec, but Ke Kim Yan refused. He didn't think it was the right thing to do," said the source, adding that Ke Kim Yan was "marked" from that point on by his refusal to toe Hun Sen's line.

Kun Kim, on the other hand, played an active role in the suppression of the royalists.

Subsequently, when the prime minister appointed Kun Kim to the RCAF general staff in 1999, observers cast it as a move by the prime minister to tighten his grip on the army, and in an October 2005 speech, Hun Sen pledged to replace Ke Kim Yan with Kun Kim if he did not follow orders to repress a future coup attempt.

"I have been patient for too long.... The armed forces are in my hands," the premier said.

"If Ke Kim Yan does not do it, I will use Kun Kim. Ke Kim Yan has to do it. If not he will be removed."

But Thayer said that the military leadership had not been definitively settled and that more upheavals could yet be in store.

"For the moment General Pol Saroeun is Hun Sen's stalking horse, [but] General Kun Kim could prove tomorrow's man," he said. But he added that the appointment of Meas Sophea, another Hun Sen loyalist, indicates that the PM is "keeping his options open".

"Both men will have to demonstrate their continued loyalty to Hun Sen," he said.

In the meantime, RCAF sources say the removal of Ke Kim Yan - a genuinely popular figure amongst soldiers - was still rippling through the military, where many former colleagues feared removal from their own posts.

"We are sorry for him because we have fought together since the 1980s," the anonymous general said.

"Most of the soldiers today still support Ke Kim Yan in their hearts. But what can we do for him? No one dares to comment about him because they are worried of removal and demotion. One was our commander and one is still our prime minister, so we all have to shut up."

Hun Sen's dirty secret is not leak-proof after all

News leak on ex-military chief angers Cambodian government

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Council of Ministers have chastised the press for publishing information from a leaked government document that revealed it began probe into the real estate holdings of recently removed military chief Ke Kim Yan, national media said on Monday.

The publishing of information contained in the official minutes of a meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Jan. 23, one day after Ke Kim Yan's ouster as Commander in Chief of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), amounted to "incitement and provocation of a bad political environment," English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily quoted a statement of the council as saying.

"The government is investigating to find the people who leaked its internal documents and will take strict measures against these individuals," the statement added.

The minutes, which found their way into the hands of several media outlets late last week, revealed that Ke Kim Yan was removed in part because of his land dealings.

According to the minutes, "the Council of Ministers has been informed and commented on the termination of the position of commander-in-chief from HE Ke Kim Yan based on two reasons:

"First, reforming the RCAF rank and file by adhering to work effectiveness in the military rank and file.

"Second, involvement with land issues by a top and powerful person in the military rank and file and doing business by using the name of military for personal gain."

The minutes went on to describe a resolution by the Council of Ministers to have both military and government bodies investigate Ke Kim Yan's land dealings.

Since his removal, ruling party and military officials have repeatedly claimed that his ouster was solely to promote reforms within the military.

Hun Sen, the real leviathan of Cambodia

Sunday, February 15, 2009
Op-Ed by Khmer Young
On the web at http://cambodianbrightfuture.blogspot.com

Gen. Ke Kimyan has not only discarded his power from national military's Deputy Commander, but currently he is possibly facing with Phnom Penh's lawsuits style. There are many wrongdoings have been proposed to bring lawsuits to Gen. Ke Kimyan.

Of course, this is normal for political rivals. Hun Sen has successfully impaired and weakened his political rivals from outside, and he has no fear of power competition from outside at all. The approaching of Sam Rainsy Party or DMC will distort Hun Sen's political behavior of using violence against his outside groups as the key mean to maintain his power grip, but Hun Sen is potentially facing with his internal rivals.

However, Hun Sen's ambition for power and political consolidation inevitably breeds the internal political sentiments. Recent firing of Gen. Ke Kimyan has well evidenced the intractable conflict inside the CPP. Hun Sen can say that because it is in need for military reform or because it is misbehavior of Gen. Ke Kimyan; but it is not common for the very strong bonding political party like CPP to firing someone without having proper power allocation. Hun Sen has succeeded to replace Gen. Ke Kimyan and consolidated the power by appointing many of his trustful persons into that important position.

But this internal political game will not be easily ended? So, what are the next proposals from Hun Sen to eliminate or discredit his opponents in order to legitimize his power?

The answer is to try Gen. Ke Kimyan or to seek any alternatives to use Gen. Ke Kimyan as much as he can as the tool to justify his political righteousness. When unabated issues of land grabing and other land abusing conducted by many high ranking officials cannot be solved, the case to try Gen. Kimyan is very useful. This case happened also with Heng Peo, and it is also considerable to the death of Hok Lundy. To put it in an easy way of understanding, when a group has been nastily achieving many crimes and impunity, the continuity of violence will happen inside that group. It naturally happens like that because the stronger will not allow the weaks to destroy them first. Two bad friends cannot go along with each other when some new environments changed. So in order to live longer, one bad friend has to eliminate another bad friend in order to show that he is surely bad and all faults will fall onto the dead one. This theory is so classic!

In the meantime, communist Pol Pot has to be tried in order to legitimize Communist CPP. In the meantime, Communist Pol Pot had to be destroyed by Communist Vietnam at least by two key strategies:

1. Push Pol Pot into ethnicity cleansing and horrific administration by the historical divorce between Communist Vietnam and Communist Pol Pot in 1968(?)
2. Let Pol Pot disintegrate their administration through their secret agents and understanding of the political paranoia of Pol Pot. When Pol Pot's extremism policy had split out their internal members, it is a good chance for Vietnam to intervene in order raise itself as the good Communist.

Do good really come out from bad? Surely, good will never come out from good? Hun Sen's political consolidation will keep Hun Sen as the political leviathan through the trial of Gen. Ke Kimyan. But how many Leviathans there, we don't know!

KY

Peal Si Peal ("Dog eat dog") Saga: Uh, oh! Who let the CPP’s dirty laundry secret out?

Ke Kim Yan, former RCAF chief of staff (Photo: RFA)

Council of ministers denies news reports on Ke Kim Yan

14 Feb 2009
By Moeung Tum
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Officials from the Council of Ministers informed RFA that they are looking for the person who leaked out the council’s internal documents to news media and radio stations related to the sacking of former army chief of staff Ke Kim Yan.

Reports provided by news media and radio stations recently indicated that Ke Kim Yan is facing court accusations for involvements in land disputes.

In a declaration issued on Saturday, the Council of Ministers indicated that the publication of this information is considered as incitation and creation of political upheaval.

The declaration also stated that the government is currently investigating to find the person who leaked out these internal government documents, and it plans to take strict measures on such issue.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: CPP's Internal Conflict

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Peal Si Peal ("Dog eats dog"): Hun Sen demands for an investigation into Ke Kim Yan

Hun Sen (L) and Ke Kim Yan (R) playing golf together during happier time

14 Feb 2008
By Ung Chansophea
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French

During a meeting of the Council of Ministers held behind closed door on 23 January, Hun Sen justified the reason for the sacking of the former army chief of staff: partly because the latter is involved in land disputes.

Hun Sen ordered the minister of Land Management and Urban Planning, the new RCAF chief of staff, the Phnom Penh city hall, and all “concerned institutions” to open an investigation into Ke Kim Yan, during a meeting held behind closed door on 23 January, a minute of the meeting of which was made public on Thursday 12 Feb.

The investigation, which should allow the court to look into the case, will look into the legality of land properties owned by companies linked to Ke Kim Yan that are located in Phnom Penh, Stung Treng and Preah Vihear province.

According to the circular issued during the meeting, which bears Sok An’s signature, Ke Kim Yan’s sacking on 22 Jan 2009 was justified as being an army reform, but it was also a determination to resolve land disputes involving high-ranking army officers.

Document links RCAF shake-up to land deals [-Shouldn't other senior govt leaders in the Hun Sen regime be sacked for doing the same as Ke Kim Yan?]

Ke Kim Yan (L) and Hun Sen (R), his boss: The boss got away free, the subordinate got sacked for doing the same thing (Photo: AP)

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The official record of a Council of Ministers meeting held the day after the Jan. 22 dismissal of RCAF (Royal Cambodian Armed Force) Commander-in-ChiefKe Kim Yan said that the government has ordered an investigation of the former military leader and his business associates over several land deals across the country, national media reported Saturday.

CPP (the Cambodian People's Party) and military officials have repeatedly claimed that the ouster Ke Kim Yan was solely to promote reforms within the military, but according to the minutes of a Jan. 23 meeting of the Council of Ministers, land issues were also at play in the decision, the Cambodia Daily newspaper said.

According to the meeting minutes, "The Council of Ministers has been informed and commented on the termination of the position of commander-in-chief from HE Ke Kim Yan based on two reasons:

"First, reforming the RCAF rank and file by adhering to work effectiveness in the military rank and file.

"Second, involvement with land issues by a top, powerful person in the military rank and file .. and doing business by using the name of military for personal gain."

The minutes go on to describe a resolution by the Council of Ministers to have both military and government bodies investigate Ke Kim Yan's land dealings.

However, newly appointed RCAF Commander-in-Chief Pol Saroeun and Defense Minister Tea Banh both said they are not looking into Ke Kim Yan's properties.

"Anything relating to Ke Kim Yan has ended since his termination from the position of RCAF high commander," Tea Banh told the Cambodia Daily.

There's no CPP infighting: it's just a "dog eat dog world" party

Cambodian PM denies rumors of ruling party infighting

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The recent replacement of Royal Cambodian Arms Forces' (RCAF) commander-in-chief was not indicative of any leadership infighting of the major ruling party of the kingdom, said national media on Saturday.

Internal conflict of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) had nothing to do with the Jan. 22 decision to oust long-serving Ke Kim Yan, English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily quoted Prime Minister Hun Sen as saying.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the premier denied that there was any conflict, adding that whether RCAF commander-in-chief had been removed or not, CPP would be free of conflict.

"They say this removal was just to beef up Hun Sen's forces and weaken (CPP President and Senate President) Chea Sim's force. I would like to assert that, if we hadn't removed Ke Kim Yan, there would still be no problem inside CPP," he said.

"I would like to clarify things with the opposition who have endlessly commented that I wouldn't dare to touch the important army commanders, but when I removed him, you commented that it was the result of internal conflict of CPP," he said.

"I would like to assert that CPP doesn't have such a tradition of conflict on this issue, because this is the right of the premier to manage and control the military, police and other public administration," he said, adding that the removal aimed at "speeding reform" within the armed forces.

As the background of its reports, the Cambodia Daily said that "many have seen the abrupt removal of Ke Kim Yan as indicative of infighting within the leadership of the ruling party, with many rumors circulating about a behind-the-scenes battle between Hun Sen and Chea Sim."

More RCAF officers to be removed: source

Monday, 02 February 2009
Written by Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post

A PROPOSAL to remove another 20 senior military commanders from all areas of the army is under consideration by the minister of defence, a top official said.

"[Commander-in-Chief] Pol Saroeun has requested that dozens of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces [RCAF] commanders be removed and promoted. The proposal has been received by Defence Minister Tea Banh," a senior official at the Defence Ministry who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media told the Post Sunday.

"The list is being examined by Tea Banh but has not yet been approved," he said, adding that the reshuffle would affect the infantry divisions, the navy, RCAF command headquarters and the Ministry of Defence itself.

In a sweeping reshuffle of the Kingdom's military leadership, Ke Kim Yan was removed from his post last week and his former deputy, General Pol Saroeun, was appointed the new commander-in-chief. Seven officers were bumped up to the post of deputy commander-in-chief, including four-star General Kun Kim and General Meas Sophea, in a move observers said was politically motivated.

New RCAF Commander-in-Chief Pol Saroeun insisted that the new list was not a political shake-up.

"It is not a reshuffle. It is not this at all," he told the Post Sunday.

According to Bun Seng, commander of Military Region 5, which covers Pursat, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Pailin provinces, it is up to the Kingdom's military leaders whether to shake up the army or not.

"The region is not affected by this. Any reshuffle is just for top leaders," he said.

Tea Banh: All's well in the not-so-well RCAF

Military Stable After Shake-Up: Minister

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
30 January 2009

Seeking to quell rumors of further shake-ups in the military after the sacking of its commander-in-chief last week, Defense Minsiter Tea Banh said Thursday the military is now stable.

Gen. Ke Kim Yan was removed from his post commander of the Royal Cambodia Armed Forces in a surprise order last week, with Prime Minister Hun Sen accusing him of conducting private business enterprises rather than running the military.

The shake-up, which put Gen. Pol Saroeun as military chief, led to worries amid the ranks of regional and division forces that further firings were possible.

“People who say that are just talking, but nothing has happened,” Tea Banh said Thursday.

Ke Kim Yan uncertain of future plans [-Another case of "Peal Si Peal - Dogs Eat Dogs"?]

Friday, 30 January 2009
Written by Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post

GENERAL Ke Kim Yan, former commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, is uncertain of the future following his unceremonious removal from the post last week.

"I have no idea of what work I will do in future," Ke Kim Yan told the Post Thursday. "The whole country knows I have stopped being commander-in-chief, [so] let everything be quiet from now on."

The general previously said he resigned his post for "health" reasons, but Deputy Prime Minister Nhek Bun Chhay said Tuesday that the CPP stalwart was removed by Prime Minister Hun Sen because his business activities were distracting him from his role as head of the armed forces.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen told a Cabinet meeting that Ke Kim Yan has a lot of land. He is a military officer, and he is also involved in business," he said. "While he is in the military and does business, he should give up his work."

But a senior official in the Council of Ministers, who declined to be named, said the prime minister was more specific, saying the former RCAF chief was removed for illegal land deals and failing to fulfill the duties of his office.

"Ke Kim Yan was withdrawn from the post of commander-in-chief because he has much illegal land and is not active along the border with the soldiers," the official quoted Hun Sen as saying during the Friday meeting.

"He has a lot of illegal land in the provinces ... and he is not as active as other commanders like Kun Kim and Hing Bun Heang."

"There are bigger problems than this, but we can't release them to the public. They are internal issues," the official added.

Chea Sim lighter by 507 bodyguards – How many bodyguards does each CPP VIP need anyway?

30 Jan 2009
KI-Media

Shortly after the sacking of Ke Kim Yan from the army, The Cambodia Daily reported in today’s edition that 507 soldiers serving as bodyguards to Chea Sim, the CPP president and Senate president, were sent back to their barracks.

All of these 507 soldiers belong to Brigade 70 which also provides bodyguards to Hun Sen. Pol Saroeun, the new RCAF chief of staff, said that the transfer of these soldiers was not part of a reshuffle, and the men were not reassigned, but they were merely brought back to their barracks for more training. However, an anonymous senior official from Chea Sim’s cabinet indicated that the redeployment of the 507 soldiers is permanent. Major Hem Savy, an officer in Chea Sim’s bodyguards, was quoted by The Cambodia Daily as saying that “there will be more removals.” The 507 soldiers redeployed include two brigadier generals and several army officers. Currently, Chea Sim is still being protected by a unit of about 100 bodyguards. When reached over the phone by a reporter, Tea Banh promptly hung up his phone. With such large contingent of soldiers acting as bodyguards to CPP VIPs, it’s no wonder that Cambodia has no soldiers left defending our borders from the Vietnamese and Thai encroachments. As King-Father would have concluded: Bravo?!?!

Hun Sen spills the bean on Ke Kim Yan's sacking

Mr. Hun Sen told of the reasons he sacked Gen. Ke Kimyan

25th January, 2009
By Sary Rath
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

A senior official from the Council of Ministers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Prime Minister Hun Sen has revealed some of the reasons for the sacking of Gen. Ke Kimyan (pictured) as the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF).

The same official said, in the meeting at the Council of Ministers on Friday 23rd January, Prime Minister Hun Sen told the meeting that Gen. Ke Kimyan was sacked because he had refused to follow the orders of a prime minister.

The Prime Minister also said that Gen. Ke Kimyan owned many illegal plots of lands in various provinces that no one dares to touch them.

Prime Minister Hun Sen added that, furthermore, Gen. Ke Kimyan dares to argue with the defence minister, Gen. Tea Banh, and has refused to follow the orders of Gen. Tea Banh.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: CPP's Internal-War

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Analysts Say Cambodia Needs Military Shakeup To Bolster Army: Dogs eat dogs time!

Government Carries Out Top Level Army Reform

23 Jan 09
By Brevin
Rasmei Kampuchea
Translated from Khmer by Anonymous

Phnom Penh: Gen. Ke Kimyan has ended his position as Commander in Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces on 22 January by virtue of royal decree signed by King Samdech Baromneath Norodom Sihamoni.

Gen. Pol Saroeun has been promoted to Commander in Chief to replace Ke Kimyan, with seven other flag officers appointed Deputy Commanders in Chief. This is the highest-level military reform unprecedented in the terms of the three previous governments.

Khieu Kanharith, information minister and government spokesman, said, "This is a normal reshuffle. It is a military reform." He added that this was not a removal and that Ke Kimyan would continue to work in the military sector. However, he declined to comment when asked what position Ke Kimyan would be appointed to in the restructuring. [passage omitted on the royal decree appointing the new Commander in Chief and his deputies]

The king issued a royal decree terminating the position of Ke Kimyan and appointing Gen. Pol Saroeun as Commander in Chief and seven Deputy Commanders in Chief at the suggestion of Samdech Decho Hun Sen.

Cambodia has carried out this major military reform at the time when it has border dispute with Thailand.

Analysts said that this military shakeup might be part of Cambodia's understanding that it was necessary to bolster the Army after the country had been threatened by a neighboring country.

Ke Kimyan had held the post of Commander in Chief since the first-term government born from the general election organized by the United Nations in 1993. He had been appointed to the post after he resigned as MP on 5 July 1994. Before holding the commander-in-chief post, he was an under secretary of state of national defense in the era of the State of Cambodia.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Tuol Krasaing-Armed Forces

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Cambodia’s army changes its head

Hun Sen showing Ke Kim Yan the exit door?
Cambodia's Gen. Ke Kim Yan, left, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, listens to his Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, during the celebration of Independent Day, Nov. 9, 2007, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The head of Cambodia's armed forces has been dismissed from his post and replaced by a loyalist of Prime Minister Hun Sen. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

22 Jan 2009
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French

General Ke Kim Yan, the current army commander-in-chief, was sacked to make way for his deputy.

General Ke Kim Yan was replaced at the head of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces by one of his deputies, General Pol Saroeun. The latter will be aided in his new duty by the following generals: Kun Kim, Meas Sophea, Mol Roeup, Chea Dara, Hing Bun Heang, Sao Sokha and Ung Samkhan.

Following this nomination musical chair, General Ung Samkhan will leave his position as chief of the navy to General Tea Vinh.

The nominations were conducted through a royal decree signed by King Norodom Sihamoni on Thursday 22 January.

Khieu Kanharith, the government spokesman, indicated that the replacement of the commander-in-chief was part of the current state reform (sic!). Khieu Kanharith indicated also that “General Ke Kim Yan will stay with the RCAF,” without indicating the new position of the sacked general.