Hor Namhong to talk debt in US [-Hor 5 Hong on a begging mission?]

Comrade Hor 5 Hong

Monday, 11 June 2012
Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua is also in the US, where she is lobbying Washington to withhold military aid until the Kingdom releases the “Boeung Kak 15” and drops the charges against self-exiled party leader Sam Rainsy

Cambodian Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong will conduct a one-day visit to Washington, at the behest of US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, where he will again lobby for US debt forgiveness.

The one-day visit on Tuesday will also focus on strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, as well as regional co-operation.

“While Cambodia has the chair of ASEAN, truly we will discuss the regional problem, including the Korean Peninsula,” Hor Namhong told reporters before departing from the Phnom Penh International Airport yesterday afternoon.

He said he will continue to lobby the US to cancel Cambodia’s Lon Nol-era debt.

The debt, racked up by US agricultural aid during the Lon Nol reign, would with interest be worth more than $440 million in 2012.

Will the US condone the use of US military aid to Cambodia for forced evictions? Is this the kind of democracy promoted by the US???

Cambodian soldiers involved in last week’s violent eviction in Kratie province wear helmets market with a design that incorporates the United States stars and stripes. Photograph: (L) Heng chivoan / (R) supplied

Eviction force’s garb curious

Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Joseph Freeman
The Phnom Penh Post

“It is their own helmet that they bought by themselves” (sic!) - General Neang Phat

Observers on site in the aftermath of a Kratie province military operation last week that lead to the shooting death of a 14-year-old girl noticed something odd about the attire of some soldiers.

It was their helmets. Crude replicas of what appeared to be American flags were stuck between the green and tan camouflage, like an out-of-place piece of a puzzle.

A uniform worn by one of the soldiers is from the US, an Embassy spokesman confirmed yesterday. But the helmets accompanied by the design are not official.

“That’s not us,” said Sean McIntosh, public affairs officer with the embassy in Phnom Penh. “When the US military makes uniform donations, no US insignia is left on the articles.”

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Angkor Sentinel 2

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

US delegation ends three-day military talks

Wednesday, 02 February 2011
Thomas Miller
The Phnom Penh Post

United States officials finished a three-day trip to Cambodia yesterday focused on bilateral military cooperation and supporting the development of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces into a “professional force”.

Neang Phat, secretary of state for National Defence, led the Cambodian delegation in the meetings and said yesterday the visit demonstrated “that the relationship between Cambodia and America is very good”.

The purpose of the visit was to emphasise “commitment to assisting the RCAF develop a professional force, while encouraging Cambodia to continue on a path of improved transparency, governance, commitment to the rule of law, sustained democratic development and respect for human rights,” a statement from the US Embassy said.

In US Ship's Visit, a Commander's Homecoming

U.S. Navy Commander Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz serves as a commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin. (Photo: Courtesy of US Navy)

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Thursday, 18 November 2010

“The purpose of the trip to Cambodia is to develop and further the relationship between the United States and Cambodia...and it’s a special trip because the Mustin is commanded by a Cambodian-American.”

When the US naval ship USS Mustin docks in Cambodia next month, it will be a homecoming for the the destroyer's commander.

Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz was adopted by an American woman in 1973, as Cambodia fell to the war and the oncoming Khmer Rouge. He was raised in the US and has not returned home in 37 years.

“The purpose of the trip to Cambodia is to develop and further the relationship between the United States and Cambodia...and it’s a special trip because the Mustin is commanded by a Cambodian-American,” Misiewicz told VOA Khmer by phone from aboard his ship. “We'll help train some of the Royal Cambodian Navy and military, and we're also going there to do community relations projects.”

The USS Mustin, based in Yokusuka, Japan, is a guided missile destroyer, carrying 300 sailors onboard. The December visit to Cambodia comes on the heels of a visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, this month.

“I know it's going to be very emotional,” said Misiewicz, who was born in Kandal province but was adopted by an American woman whom his aunt worked for.

Misiewicz, whose given name is Vannak Khem, went to school in the US, not knowing what became of his family after the Khmer Rouge came to power. He graduated high school, joined the US Navy, and later went on to the Naval Academy, earning his officer's commission in 1992.

When he returns to Cambodia, he will be reunited with his aunt. His father was executed by the Khmer Rouge in 1977, but his birth mother now lives in Texas with her family.

US Army gears used by Hun Xen's cops in violent crackdown on peaceful protesters during Ban Ki-moon's visit

The helmets used by these violent cops are standard US army issues - most likely provided by the US as part of its military aid to Cambodia, but they have turned into repression tools

US army gear used in repression of Cambodian factory workers?

The Kevlar helmets used by some of these riot cops are standard issues for US soldiers, they are most likely provided by the US as military aid to Cambodia, but they have been used as tools for repression of the Cambodian workers rights to free expression! (Photos: Reuters)

US stops Cambodia shipment over Uighur deportation

Cambodia's military receives vehicles under a program which involves the US providing surplus military supplies to other countries. [Reuters]

Friday, April 02, 2010
ABC Radio Australia

The United States says it has stopped a shipment of military trucks to Cambodia as punishment for sending Uighur asylum-seekers back to China.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley says they failed to heed not only its call to step up to their international obligations but specific obligations they have as a country.

Cambodia in December deported the 20 Uighurs even though they were seeking UN refugee status and said they would face torture if returned.

The United States, which had warned against the deportation, said it was calling off a shipment of 200 trucks and trailers.

The vehicles are provided under a program which involves the US providing surplus military supplies to other countries.

US suspends Cambodian military aid program in protest over Uighur deportations

Apr 02, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States says it has suspended a small military aid program with Cambodia to protest the deportation of 20 Uighur asylum seekers to China in December.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Thursday that the United States informed Cambodia this month that it would suspend shipments of surplus trucks and trailers.

The group of Uighurs had made the journey from China's far west through to Vietnam and then Cambodia with the help of a network of missionary groups. China had accused them of being involved in ethnic rioting in July that pitted the minority group against the majority Han Chinese.

Shortly after the deportations, China announced a US$1.2 billion aid package to Cambodia.

US cuts off military vehicle shipments to Cambodia

Thu, 01 Apr 2010
DPA

Washington - The United States has suspended shipments of military vehicles to Cambodia in response to the government's decision to deport Uighurs to China, the State Department said Thursday.

The State Department informed Cambodia on March 19 that it will not be receiving the shipments of trucks and trailers.

"As we said, there would be consequences for their failure to live up to their international obligations," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said.

Cambodia in December expelled the 20 Uighurs, or Chinese Muslims, who fled seeking asylum. Washington strongly objected to the move, saying Phnom Penh did not follow international asylum norms.

The United States fears that the Uighurs would be subjected to abuse if returned to China, and has refused to repatriate Uighurs who were captured in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and held at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility.

U.S. suspends some aid to Cambodia over Uighur case

Thursday, April 1, 2010

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it had halted shipments of some surplus military vehicles to Cambodia to retaliate for the Southeast Asian nation's decision to deport a group of Uighurs back to China over U.S. protests.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the United States informed Cambodia last month that it was suspending the shipment of 200 military trucks and trailers as a consequence of Cambodia's December decision on the Uighurs.

"We said there would be consequences and this is a step in that direction," Crowley said.

Cambodia in December defied international pressure and expelled 20 Uighur asylum seekers, a move that underlined its growing economic and diplomatic links with China.

Two days later it signed 14 deals worth an estimated $850 million with China. Beijing denied any link.

Uighurs are a Turkic Muslim group native to China's far western region of Xinjiang, where ethnic rioting in July killed 197 people. Many there chafe under Chinese restrictions on their culture and religion.

The deported Uighurs were smuggled into Cambodia late last year and applied for asylum at the U.N. refugee office.

But Cambodia brushed off concerns they would be mistreated if returned and deported them for immigration offenses, a move sharply criticized by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United States.

Crowley said Cambodian authorities had ignored appeals from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her deputy on the Uighurs, and that Washington had decided that suspending the truck and trailer shipments was an appropriate response.

"This is something that is important to Cambodia, and obviously as we said there would be consequences for their failure to live up to their international obligations," he said.

(Reporting by Andrew Quinn; Editing by Xavier Briand)

US cancels Cambodia trucks [-No more toys for the authoritarian regime?]

Apr 2, 2010
AFP

WASHINGTON - THE United States on Thursday stopped a shipment of military trucks to Cambodia as punishment after it sent Uighur asylum-seekers back to China in defiance of international appeals.

Cambodia in December deported the 20 Uighurs, members of a largely Muslim minority group in western China, even though they were seeking UN refugee status and said they would face torture if returned.

The United States, which had warned against the deportation, said it was calling off a shipment of 200 trucks and trailers under a programme by which the United States provides surplus military supplies to other countries.

'They failed to heed not only our call that they step up to their international obligations but specific obligations they have as a country,' State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

'We said there would be consequences, and this is a step in that direction,' he said.

'This is something that I think is important to Cambodia,' he said of the trucks. But the assistance pales in comparison to aid from Beijing. China, which had put heavy pressure on Cambodia to hand over the Uighurs, signed off on one billion dollars in assistance days after the deportation, although Beijing denied there was a link.

US Senator Leahy May Review Funding of U.S.-Thailand Military Relations as Anupong, Abhisit Move Against Hmong

Abhisit and Anupong: The killers of 4,000 Hmong refugees?

"Should the Hmong be treated similarly it could badly damage the Thai military's reputation, and put our military collaboration at risk," U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy said on the Senate floor regarding U.S.-Thai Military Relations.

(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington, D.C. and Bangkok, Thailand, December 28, 2009 - The text of a Senate floor statement by U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy ( D-VT ) was released today in Bangkok, Thailand and Washington, D.C., in opposition to the forced repatriation of over 4,000 Lao Hmong political refugees from Thailand to Laos.

“Key U.S. Senators are openly stating that the return of Lao Hmong refugees to Laos by Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Army Chief of Staff General Anupong Paochinda may have negative effects on America’s relationship with Thailand, including potential damage to the U.S.-Thai military relationship, including American funding, and the annual Cobra Gold exercises,” said Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis ( CPPA ) in Washington, D.C.

Smith continued: “Senator Leahy is calling for the potential review of the funding for U.S.-Thailand military relations as General Anupong and Prime Minister Abhisit Order the Thai Army to move against defenseless Lao Hmong political refugees at Huay Nam Khao in Petchabun Province. Moreover, Prime Minister Abhisit and General Anupong have ignored repeated appeals by Members of Congress and the international community to His Majesty, Bhumibol Adulayadej, the King of Thailand, to grant asylum to the Hmong refugees until they can be resettled in third countries like Australia, Canada and The Netherlands, that have agreed to host them.”

“It is important to note that U.S. Senators, Russ Feingold ( D-WI ), Patrick Leahy ( D-VT ), Richard Lugar ( R-IN ), Barbara Boxer ( D-CA ), Al Franken ( D-MN ) , Amy Klobuchar ( D-MN ), Mark Begich ( D-AK ), Lisa Murkowski ( R-AK ) and Sheldon Whitehouse ( D-RI ) sent the letter to Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on December 17, 2009, and released it on December 23, 2009, in Washington, D.C. following reports of more Thai soldiers and a large troop convoy of over 50 army trucks and buses being deployed at the main Hmong refugee camp at Ban Huay Nam Khao to force over 4,000 political refugees back to Laos over the Christmas and New Year holiday season,” Smith concluded.

“Senator Leahy, Chairman of the key committee in the U.S. Senate that oversees international U.S. military assistance, has issued a clear message to the Thai Government that forced repatriation of Hmong back to Laos, as now appears imminent, would have dire implications for U.S. military-to-military cooperation with Thailand,” said Edmund McWilliams, a retired senior foreign service officer who served at the U.S. Embassies in Thailand and Laos and is a combat veterans of the Vietnam War.

“The Senator, joined by other colleagues earlier this month, wrote to the Thai Prime Minister underscoring the urgency and importance… of this issue; Forced repatriation of Hmong back to the land from which they were driven would be especially egregious in this Christmas season, particularly for many Christians among the Hmong,” McWilliams explained.

The following is the text of the statement by Senator Leahy:

STATEMENT OF SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY
ON
THE FATE OF HMONG REFUGEES

Senate Floor

December 23, 2009, Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to speak briefly about a worrisome humanitarian situation that is developing in Thailand, which could cause problems for our relations with the Thai military.

Thailand and the United States are long time friends and allies, and our armed forces have developed a cooperative relationship. Many Thai military officers have been trained in the United States, and Thai soldiers have participated in joint U.S.-Thai training exercises such as Operation Cobra Gold. I expect this relationship to continue. But I am very concerned, as I know are other Senators, that the Thai Government may be on the verge of deporting roughly 4,000 ethnic Hmong back to Laos where many fear persecution.

Thailand has a long history of generosity towards refugees from Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is a history to be proud of. But the Thai Government, which insists that the Hmong are economic migrants who should be repatriated, has reportedly deployed additional troops to Phetchabun province where most of the Hmong are in camps. There is a growing concern that the Thai military may expel the Hmong before the end of the year. There is also concern that a group of 158 Hmong in Nongkhai province, who have been screened and granted United Nations refugee status, could be sent back to Laos. I understand that the United States and several countries have told the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Thai Government they are prepared to consider this group of refugees for resettlement. Potential resettlement countries should be given an opportunity to interview these individuals in Thailand.

It may be that some of the 4,000 Hmong are economic migrants. It is also likely that some are refugees who have a credible fear of persecution if they were returned to Laos. I am aware that many Hmong fought alongside the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, working with Thai authorities, needs to determine who has a legitimate claim for asylum and who does not, in accordance with long-standing principles of refugee law and practice. No one with a valid claim should be returned to Laos except on a voluntary basis. The United States, and other countries, can help resettle those who do have valid claims but need access and the opportunity to consider relevant cases.

I mention this because I cannot overstate the consternation it would cause here if the Thai Government were to forcibly return the Hmong to Laos in violation of international practice and requirements. The image of Laotian refugees – including many who the United Nations and the Thai Government itself have stated are in need of protection – being rounded up by Thai soldiers and sent back against their will during the Christmas season, and the possible violence that could result, is very worrisome. On December 17th I joined other Senators in a letter to the Thai Prime Minister about this, and I ask that a copy be printed in the Record at the end of my remarks.

As Chairman of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee which funds international assistance programs, I have supported U.S. military training programs and other assistance to the Thai military. We share common interests and want to continue to work together. But after the deplorable forced repatriation to China of Uighur refugees by Cambodian authorities last week, we expect better of the Thai Government. Should the Hmong be treated similarly it could badly damage the Thai military’s reputation, and put our military collaboration at risk.

###

Contact: Ms. Maria Gomez or Mr. Juan Lopez
Telephone ( 202 ) 543-1444
info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org
CPPA - Center for Public Policy Analysis
2020 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Suite No. #212
Washington, DC 20006 USA

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: A good Hyena

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

US Sees Military, Health Partnerships Working

By Poch Reasey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh
06 April 2009

[Editor’s note: Carol Rodley became Cambodia’s ambassador in October 2008. In an interview with VOA Khmer in March, she discussed the growing relationship between Cambodia and the US, on topics ranging from the Khmer Rouge tribunal to the global financial crisis. Below is the third of a six-part series resulting from the interview.]

Q. Regarding health issues: in the past USAID has provided funds for Cambodia to fight avian influenza, or bird flu. Has the program continued?

A. The plan is working very well. It was in fact in cooperation with the US project that the recent bird flu outbreak in Kandal province [in November 2008] was detected. The case that was a month or so ago was detected by US medical research progress. What that case indicated to me was that the system that has been put in place with donors and the government’s health system, working together to do surveillance to detect cases and respond quickly when there is a case of avian influenza, works pretty well.

Once that one case was identified, the procedures were all there, and people swung into action to identify the patient, to find out who he had been in contact with, to find out where the bird came from that has made him sick, and to remove the infected animal from the flock. I think that’s a very good example of the government and donors and health experts working in collaboration to protect the health of Cambodian people and the world.

Q. In terms of the US-Cambodian military cooperation, in the past the US Navy has paid several visits to Cambodian port. Is it still going on?

A. At the end of this month [March] another ship is going to visit. This one will be a specialized kind of ship, a salvage ship. They will call for a few days at Ream Naval Base. They will do some workshops on maintenance and some technical issues with the Cambodian navy. Some of the staff will come ashore and enjoy the hospitality of the Cambodian people, as happened with previous ship visits.

So that’s a continuing program, something that’s been very successful from my point of view. It’s great for our military members, our sailors and naval officers to be exposed to Cambodia. And when they come they always try to do something good. They bring some medical teams, they do some projects with the local people, provide health care, rebuild schools, those kinds of things. They always enjoy themselves when they come here.

Q. Is the US interested in having a military base in Cambodia?

A. I can tell you very definitively that we are not looking for a base in Cambodia. Our goal in having relations between our military and the Cambodian military is to help the Cambodian military become more capable and more professional and therefore a better partner for us in activities that are of interests to both of us.

For example, the Cambodian government has developed an interest in peacekeeping. Cambodian forces are in the process of training to become peacekeepers, and in 2010 Cambodia will host, for the first time ever, a big global peacekeeping exercise here in Cambodia.

More than 24 countries have already expressed their intention to participate in this exercise. So countries that supply peacekeeping forces get together, they train together, they learn how to operate together. This helps build the global peacekeeping infrastructure. And to me this is a wonderful kind of engagement for Cambodia to have in the world. Cambodia was once the recipient of peacekeeping operations in the ‘90s [and] now is stable and prosperous and is looking to go out and provide that kind of peacekeeping service to other countries that are in tougher situations.

US Military Aid 'Important' ... to prop up the CPP sagging image before the election?

US Military Aid 'Important': Ambassador

By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
04 June 2008

The resumption of military aid to Cambodia is part of an important relationship, and can help with counterterrorism, human trafficking and drug interdiction, the US ambassador to Cambodia said in Washington Monday.

The US donated 31 trucks, part of a larger contingent, to Cambodia's armed forces Tuesday, signaling another step in military cooperation that has steadily grown since 2006.

The aid was not meant to protect US oil interests and was not meant to compete with Chinese or Vietnamese interests, Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said.

The aid, from the most professional military in the world, was meant to improve relations between the two countries, he said.

US: Admiral Keating's visit underscores the importance of the role of the US military in relations with Cambodia

US Commander Expected in Phnom Penh for Three-Day Visit

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
20 August 2007

Admiral Timothy Keating, US commander-in-chief for the Pacific theater, is scheduled to hold three days of meetings with Cambodian officials to strengthen military ties between the two countries.

Keating took over as commander of the theater in March. Cambodia has steadily received training other benefits from the US military since January.

Keating's visit comes on the heals of an official trip by Vietnam's chief military commander, Gen. Le Manh, last week.

US Embassy spokesman Jeff Daigle said the visit underscored the importance of the role of the US military in relations with Cambodia.

US trains Cambodian troops for peacekeeping

Friday June 15, 2007
AFP

Nearly 100 Cambodian troops are wrapping up two weeks of US-led training for peacekeeping operations, in another sign of increasing ties between the two nations' militaries.

The Cambodian troops drilled Friday in various scenarios, manning mock checkpoints and conducting patrols during which they were ambushed, set upon by angry mobs and attacked with bomb-laden vehicles.

Having already sent military deminers on a United Nations mission to Sudan, Cambodia is likely to expand its role as a global peacekeeper, although it has so far refused US requests to send troops to Iraq.

The Cambodians have been training in basic peacekeeping tactics such as conducting patrols or convoy security, aid distribution and search operations, said Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Dunne of the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI).

The GPOI is a five-year peace operations training program managed by the US State Department.

"They're learning the peacekeeping skills everybody needs, and the biggest one is security," Dunne said.

"These soldiers have done a really good job. They've risen to the standard," he added.

The training at a military compound 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Phnom Penh marks another increase in US military involvement in Cambodia since a ban on military aid was lifted in 2005, and comes as concern rises over China's growing influence in the region.

China is expanding its military ties as well as increasing aid to Cambodia, including military hardware. Beijing in 2005 gave Cambodia six patrol boats to bolster its ageing navy.

US Trains Cambodian Soldiers for Peacekeeping

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
14/06/2007

US military personnel and nearly 100 Cambodian soldiers were training this week outside Phnom Penh at the site for Cambodia's future peacekeeping training center.

These "peace-support operations" are aimed at training Cambodians to one day take part in UN blue-helmet missions and were held at the Training and Mine Unexploded Ordnance Clearance Center in Udong, north of the capital.

The training will also help the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces operate in tandem with US soldiers and is based on UN guidelines, the US Embassy said in a statement.

"The program will enable RCAF instructors and participants to gain United Nations 'Training Recognition,' allowing them to conduct possible peacekeeping missions worldwide under the Global Peace Operation Initiative, a five-year peace operation capacity-building program managed by the US Department of State to address gaps in international peace support operations," the embassy said. "Additionally, the training will enhance interoperability and professional relationships between US forces and other Asia-Pacific militaries."

"The peacekeeping training is based on UN guidelines and procedures and incorporates what every peacekeeper needs to know about UN peacekeeping tactics, techniques, and procedures," the embassy said. UN peacekeeping requires proficiency in 215 tasks, the embassy said. Of these, 33 of the most common tasks were chosen for Cambodian soldiers and incorporated into six scenarios: checkpoint operations, patrolling, humanitarian aid distribution, guarding fixed sites, convoy operations, and cordon and search.

Current exercises, running June 4 through June 17, were sponsored by RCAF and the US Pacific Command, the military office that oversees operations in the region.