Tea Banh says army not recruiting soldiers this year

KOMPONG SPEU, 16 May 2012 (Cambodia Herald) -Defense Minister Tea Banh said Tuesday that his ministry had no plans to recruit any soldiers this year.

"That's the order from Prime Minister Hun Sen, and we have to respect and implement the order," he told a ceremony in Kompong Speu province.

Tea Banh said government spending had been squeezed by last year's floods and the related rebuilding of damaged infrastructure as well as this year's chairmanship of ASEAN.

The National Defense Ministry recruited 5,000 soldiers last year to replace retiring soldiers.