Hun Sen creates new brigade after border row with Laos

Hun Sen creates new brigade after border row with Laos

Cambodian soldiers on a military vehicle as they arrive in Phnom Penh on Sunday. Cambodia redeploys its troops after a border dispute with Laos in Steung Treng province. (EPA photo)
Cambodian soldiers on a military vehicle as they arrive in Phnom Penh on Sunday. Cambodia redeploys its troops after a border dispute with Laos in Steung Treng province. (EPA photo)

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has visited troops in Stung Treng province along the border with Laos, where he announced the creation of a new brigade following tensions between the countries.

The visit and announcement of the new brigade follows a negotiated settlement between the two countries’ prime ministers for Laos to remove troops that encroached upon Cambodian soil last week.

“We will set up a new brigade 128 or called infantry brigade 128 for the first military region,” the Khmer Times on Thursday quoted Hun Sen as saying on his Facebook page.

“The main purpose is to improve the effectiveness of the armed forces.”

Hun Sen last week ordered Cambodian soldiers to mobilise to the border with Laos and gave the intruders six days to withdraw. He met Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith the following day.

After negotiations between Hun Sen and Thongloun on Saturday, the Lao invaders withdrew the following day.

“We will also place a navy station in Stung Treng province,”  Hun Sen added.

“All preparations are not aimed for war with neighbouring countries, but for national defence, to protect our citizens.”

According to Global Fire Power, Cambodia’s military in 2017 ranked 89th among133 countries in the world. The rating depends on the population and geography of each country.

The organisation said that Cambodia has nearly 200,000 military personnel, more than 100,000 active personnel and 70,000 reserve personnel.

Cambodia People's Party spokesman Sok Eysan said it was important to have a strong military.

“The armed forces are the power tools of the Cambodian people with the duty of protecting the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia,” he said.

San Chey, executive director of the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability Cambodia, said that in the past, there might have been the lack of troops in the area which allowed the Laos army to invade.

“For this brigade creation, it is likely that the prime minister saw a gap and the need to create the brigade in that area to fill it,” Chey said.

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