KI-Media2 KI Media US military aid tripled for Hun Xen’s repressive regime: The US a champion of democrazy?

Cambodian soldiers donning US military gears during the forced eviction in Proma village, Kratie province (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

US Secretary of Defense bound for Cambodia

Tuesday, 06 November 2012
Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

In Cambodia, [US] military aid spending almost tripled this year to $18.2 million.

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta will be paying a visit to Cambodia next week, in a meeting set to coincide with a two-day ASEAN defence ministers summit, a Cambodian official said yesterday.

“It will be the first time that Leon Panetta visits Cambodia to boost bilateral ties in military and security,” said Nem Sowath, director general of the Defence Ministry’s policy and foreign affairs department.

Expected to be discussed during the November 16 meeting, said Sowath, are the bolstering of military ties and “co-operation in military human resources development”.

The US has come under fire for its military assistance to Cambodia, which critics have argued has sometimes come with insufficient vetting of human rights violations.

As American foreign policy increasingly focuses on countering China’s influence in Asia, the US has ramped up military aid to the region.

In Cambodia, military aid spending almost tripled this year to $18.2 million.

—
Posted By Socheata to KI Media at 11/06/2012 02:46:00 PM

—
Posted By kiletters2 to KI-Media2 at 11/06/2012 02:46:00 PM