Philippine Army to Assist Cambodian Military

Philippine Army to Assist Cambodian Military

Khmer Times/Ban Sokrith

Sunday, 28 February 2016

The meeting between Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Pol Saroeun with Commanding General of the Philippine Army Eduardo M. Año on Friday. KT/ Ban Sokrith

The Commanding General of the Philippine Army Eduardo M. Año pledged to strengthen bilateral ties with the Kingdom and train Cambodian armed forces in natural disaster relief, sea security, drug trafficking and illegal border crossing prevention on Friday during a meeting with Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces General Pol Saroeun.

Mr. M. Año said that his visit’s purpose was to demonstrate the healthy cooperation between the two countries, and to take note of the effects of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s so-called ‘Win Win’ policy.

“The Philippine Army promises to provide experience related to natural disaster relief, sea security, drug trafficking prevention and illegal border crossings in order to ensure security and peace in the ASEAN region as well as in the world,” Mr. M. Año said. 

“Cooperation between Cambodia and the Philippines has been ongoing since 1950. In 1970 the relationship ended because of the Cambodia civil war. After January 7, 1979, the relationship was renewed. In 1980, the Philippines helped Cambodia’s agricultural sector especially in Takeo province,” Gen. Saroeun said. 

The visit comes on the heels of a month full of naval visits by the Kingdom’s neighbors, with both Japan and China organizing joint military training exercises with Cambodia’s armed forces. 

Both the Philippines and Japan are in the middle of a dispute with China over control of the East Sea and South China Sea, where China has been seen building military bases and runways as well as installing defense machinery on the disputed islands. Many Asian nations, backed by the United States, have criticized the Chinese construction efforts and said it may directly impede access to the area, where almost $5 trillion worth of manufacturing products and oil pass on large tankers each year.

Cambodia is seemingly in the center of this dispute, attempting to show both China and the opposing Asian nations that it will not play favorites. Prime Minister Hun Sen has slammed criticism against Cambodia on the issue, saying he wants the country to “be friends with everyone,” in a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry last month.