Cambodia has delayed two of its military cooperation programs with
Australia, the Australian Defense Department said Thursday, after it
emerged this week that U.S.-backed programs had also been postponed
following the July 28 national election.
Dave Gordge, first secretary and deputy head of mission at the Australian Embassy, provided a statement Thursday from the Department of Defense in Australia.
“Cambodia has postponed a maritime security workshop (which is
currently being rescheduled at Cambodia’s request) and a
counter-terrorism training activity,” the statement says. “Other aspects
of our defense cooperation program with Cambodia are continuing as
normal.”
Mr. Gordge said he could not provide additional information to the statement.
According to the embassy’s website, Australian counterterrorism
training provided to Cambodia “has included basic training through to
advanced skills incorporating fieldcraft, navigation, medical training,
and Explosive Ordnance Disposal/Improvised Explosive Device (EOD/IED)
training.”
The website says Australia has also provided English language
training to members of the National Counter Terrorism Special Forces,
which are led by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s son, Hun Manet.
When first asked on Tuesday—in light of the news of the U.S. programs
being delayed—whether Australian military aid programs had been
affected, Mr. Gordge did not to mention the two delayed programs.
“Our Defense Cooperation Program [DCP] in Cambodia is continuing. We do not usually comment on activities under the DCP,” Mr. Gordge said in an emailed statement.
Lieutenant General Suon Samnang, director of policy and planning at
the Defense Ministry’s department of policy and foreign affairs, said
that a maritime security training program originally slated for June had
been postponed.
“We delayed the maritime security workshop with Australia because we
were busy with the election, but it might be renewed in the first or
second week of next month,” he said.
Analysts have said Cambodia’s decision to delay some U.S. military
aid, including an air force training scheme, was a reaction to alleged
U.S. interference in Cambodian affairs.
The delays came after the U.S. State Department called for a
transparent investigation into allegations of irregularities at the
polls, and after U.S. lawmakers discussed severing aid to Cambodia over
problems with the electoral process.
While criticism from the U.S. surrounding the election has drawn Mr.
Hun Sen’s ire, with the prime minister daring the superpower to sever
aid, Australia has been less forthright.
Back in October, Australia’s Senate tabled a resolution that called on the Cambodian government to “hold free
and fair elections in 2013” and—at a time when opposition CNRP
president Sam Rainsy was still in exile avoiding a jail term—called for
the government to ensure his full participation in the election.
The Australian government is yet to publicly endorse, or condemn,
preliminary election results, which have the ruling CPP winning by a
reduced majority. But Australia’s minority Greens party has called on
the Cambodian government to support calls for an independent
investigation into irregularities.
Cambodian officials have downplayed the importance of aid delays and
on Wednesday the Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman insisted
Cambodia-U.S. relations were “normal.”
U.S. Embassy spokesman Sean McIntosh declined to respond to questions for the second day running Thursday.
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