WASHINGTON — Cambodia has
suspended international military cooperation programs with the United
States and others following that country’s recent, disputed election,
the State Department said Monday.
The reason for Cambodia’s action was not immediately clear.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters that Cambodia’s
Defense Ministry has postponed or canceled a number of programs. She
provided no details.
It could be a pre-emptive move after U.S. lawmakers called for
cuts in direct aid to Cambodia’s government if the vote was not free and
fair. But Harf said the U.S. does not regard this as a suspension of
overall military ties.
“We haven’t indicated that’s something we
want,” Harf said. “We are going to keep watching the process as it
unfolds and see where it goes from here.”
Longtime Prime Minister
Hun Sen’s party won the July 28 vote, but with a sharply reduced
majority, according to unratified results announced Monday that are
contested by the opposition. It has threatened mass protests unless
there’s an independent investigation of the election process.
The
State Department has expressed concerns about reported election
irregularities and has called for them to be investigated fully and
transparently.
The Cambodian government has deployed extra troops
and armored vehicles in the capital, Phnom Penh, because of the
opposition’s warning it could take to the streets. The tough reputation
of Hun Sen, who has ruled for 28 years, has raised concerns he might use
force against protesters.
Navuth Koeut, the defense attache at
Cambodia’s embassy in Washington, said he could not comment about any
suspension in military cooperation programs as he has not received
information from Phnom Penh about it.
U.S. military assistance on
maritime security, counterterrorism and humanitarian operations makes up
a small portion of the more than $70 million in annual American aid to
Cambodia but reflects Washington’s attempts to build bridges with a
Southeast Asian government which counts China as its main benefactor.
Military
cooperation has been on the uptick since 2006 and includes training for
Cambodian officers and periodic military exercises. One of Hun Sen’s
sons was trained at West Point.
Human Rights Watch has been
pushing for the U.S. to sever military ties, arguing that Cambodia’s
armed forces are corrupt, politicized and implicated in rights abuses.
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