News Forum - Cambodia PM orders to destroy, store US weapons following arms embargo ban

[Thaiger]

Cambodia PM Hun Sen is not quite happy following an arms embargo ban by the United States last week and asked the country’s military to examine any US-made weapons or equipment in its possession to be stored in warehouses or destroyed, although the country has never acquired arms from the States under the current administration.  According to the Phnom Penh Post, PM Hun Sen stated in retaliation against the ban, “I’d like to take this occasion to express my gratitude to the United States for its decision to prohibit the transfer of arms and military equipment to Cambodia.” The PM […]

The story Cambodia PM orders to destroy, store US weapons following arms embargo ban as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Poolie]

I think he's angry with someone?

Could this spell Sanctions by any chance?

[Stonker]

Just to make it clear, he actually the weapons to be stored OR destroyed.

[Rookiescot]

Chinese puppet.

[ThaiEyes]

Well if he doesn’t want those weapons, he can donate them to Thailand

[HolyCowCm]

Prime example of bottom of the barrel sludge.

[mickkotlarski]

1 hour ago, Rookiescot said:

Chinese puppet.

First thought that came to my mind as well. 

Hun Sen could easily walk a middle ground as Malaysia does but he went for a stance on being Xi' s puppet instead.

[longwood50]

2 hours ago, Thaiger said:

although the country has never acquired arms from the States

If he needs some he can always contact the Taliban in Afghanistan.  They have a very large supply of the latest and most expensive weapons

[palooka]

Hun Sen not happy, another good news item on Thaiger.

[CamPat]

Cambodia's PM Hun Sen is a man of decision ! He takes no shit from the allmighty US which has pested the Country since the End of the Khmer Rouge in order to trigger a Regime Change that would allow the US to establish a US Naval Base in REAM near Sihanoukville. The Stick and Carrot policy of all US Gov. except under Jimmy Carter failed and the top sponsor for Economic Development China is much closer to the ground eventhough many Khmer don't really like the Brothers from the North. What we can expect is that the US will pull out it's new Weapon of Mass Destruction , namely SANCTIONS which would really hurt Cambodia since the US represents the biggest Export Market.

[Rookiescot]

1 hour ago, CamPat said:

Cambodia's PM Hun Sen is a man of decision ! He takes no shit from the allmighty US which has pested the Country since the End of the Khmer Rouge in order to trigger a Regime Change that would allow the US to establish a US Naval Base in REAM near Sihanoukville. The Stick and Carrot policy of all US Gov. except under Jimmy Carter failed and the top sponsor for Economic Development China is much closer to the ground eventhough many Khmer don't really like the Brothers from the North. What we can expect is that the US will pull out it's new Weapon of Mass Destruction , namely SANCTIONS which would really hurt Cambodia since the US represents the biggest Export Market.

In the same way that China has established a Naval base in Cambodia?

Cambodia is already owned by China. No-one really cares. From a tactical point of view it is insignificant to the USA.

The average Cambodian however may take a dim view of becoming a Chinese vassal. 

[Rookiescot]

3 hours ago, longwood50 said:

If he needs some he can always contact the Taliban in Afghanistan.  They have a very large supply of the latest and most expensive weapons

Latest and most expensive weapons?

Absolute nonsense.

[Rookiescot]

3 hours ago, mickkotlarski said:

First thought that came to my mind as well. 

Hun Sen could easily walk a middle ground as Malaysia does but he went for a stance on being Xi' s puppet instead.

Cambodia is so far in debt to China it has lost its sovereignty. Laos is the same.

Too much greed for brown envelopes by its leaders.

I guess the question for Thailand now is given it has two borders with Chinese puppet states will it go western or Chinese dominated?

My money is it will sell its sole for brown envelopes. 

[HolyCowCm]

4 hours ago, mickkotlarski said:

First thought that came to my mind as well. 

Hun Sen could easily walk a middle ground as Malaysia does but he went for a stance on being Xi' s puppet instead.

Just think of the huge bankroll millions upon millions of payoff money XI is privately paying him. It is the unofficial known all of them generals and dictators get it and expect it. 

[HolyCowCm]

3 hours ago, palooka said:

Hun Sen not happy, another good news item on Thaiger.

I sort of would worry for the American expats living there now. Can’t be anything good. 

[mickkotlarski]

2 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

In the same way that China has established a Naval base in Cambodia?

Cambodia is already owned by China. No-one really cares. From a tactical point of view it is insignificant to the USA.

The average Cambodian however may take a dim view of becoming a Chinese vassal. 

Very true. China may have the juniors in ASEAN but the rest are neutral and should Duterte be ousted then the 2 minows could have a lonelier existence. 

[JohninDublin]

6 hours ago, mickkotlarski said:

First thought that came to my mind as well. 

Hun Sen could easily walk a middle ground as Malaysia does but he went for a stance on being Xi' s puppet instead.

Should we be surprised at that? I think the only ambition he now has is to finish selling off that part of Cambodia that he has not already sold to Beijing.

I genuinely despair for the people of Cambodia. If they didn't have bad luck, they'd have no luck at all.

[JohninDublin]

2 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

I sort of would worry for the American expats living there now. Can’t be anything good. 

Not sure what your concern is about the US ex-pats, but I don't see the locals being whipped into a mob by Hun Sen. Of course that does not mean that the Gendarmerie thugs will not do his Hun Sen's dirty work. 

[JohninDublin]

21 minutes ago, mickkotlarski said:

Very true. China may have the juniors in ASEAN but the rest are neutral and should Duterte be ousted then the 2 minows could have a lonelier existence. 

Not sure what you mean to say with that post, but Duterte Harry is more than capable than becoming a friend to China. There are those in Phil's who would happily buy him a one-way ticket to The Hague once he leaves office, so staying friendly with Xi, should buy him sanctuary in Beijing if he needs it.

[CamPat]

 

Just for the record: China does not have a Naval Base in Cambodia or REAM for that matter. Utter B.S.

It would really be great if those that claim that there is a Chinese Naval base deliver proof.

The Cambodian Naval Base there is so small that even the Ko Samui Yacht Club seems big in comparison. The US is pissed off cause Cambodia dismantled the 2 mini Buildings it had built there and the Khmer decided to build new ones at another location in REAM. The US Ambassador actually had US Military inspect the site and nothing chinese was found ! That are the facts.

The other issue raised here is: American Expats certainly do not have to worry about anything here. Infact their freedom is multifold better than in Thailand. Cambodia however knows to point out the Wolf in Sheepskin i.e. NGO's, USAID and PEACE CORPS in particular. The Gov. knows who they are but basically treats them with humor.

 

[Rookiescot]

2 hours ago, CamPat said:

Just for the record: China does not have a Naval Base in Cambodia or REAM for that matter. Utter B.S.

It would really be great if those that claim that there is a Chinese Naval base deliver proof.

The Cambodian Naval Base there is so small that even the Ko Samui Yacht Club seems big in comparison. The US is pissed off cause Cambodia dismantled the 2 mini Buildings it had built there and the Khmer decided to build new ones at another location in REAM. The US Ambassador actually had US Military inspect the site and nothing chinese was found ! That are the facts.

The other issue raised here is: American Expats certainly do not have to worry about anything here. Infact their freedom is multifold better than in Thailand. Cambodia however knows to point out the Wolf in Sheepskin i.e. NGO's, USAID and PEACE CORPS in particular. The Gov. knows who they are but basically treats them with humor.

Yeah right. And they have not been building them on fake islands in the South China sea either have they? Destroying coral reefs in the process.

Have they managed to get permission for one in west Africa yet? They have been begging and bullying those countries for a while now to try and get one.

[HolyCowCm]

10 hours ago, JohninDublin said:

Not sure what your concern is about the US ex-pats, but I don't see the locals being whipped into a mob by Hun Sen. Of course that does not mean that the Gendarmerie thugs will not do his Hun Sen's dirty work. 

Well they have not been known to be halo like people and so picking on US expats might be fun for them to extract money. I once had a not so fun attitude at their airport in Phnom Penh once upon a time. Even a Thai protestor was abducted there and never to be seen again, and his opponents either dissappear or get jailed.. 

[Stonker]

8 hours ago, CamPat said:

Just for the record: China does not have a Naval Base in Cambodia or REAM for that matter. Utter B.S.

It would really be great if those that claim that there is a Chinese Naval base deliver proof.

The Cambodian Naval Base there is so small that even the Ko Samui Yacht Club seems big in comparison. The US is pissed off cause Cambodia dismantled the 2 mini Buildings it had built there and the Khmer decided to build new ones at another location in REAM. The US Ambassador actually had US Military inspect the site and nothing chinese was found ! That are the facts.

The other issue raised here is: American Expats certainly do not have to worry about anything here. Infact their freedom is multifold better than in Thailand. Cambodia however knows to point out the Wolf in Sheepskin i.e. NGO's, USAID and PEACE CORPS in particular. The Gov. knows who they are but basically treats them with humor.

You can find an update at https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Cambodia-naval-base-set-to-undergo-China-led-expansion

and at 

https://amti.csis.org/changes-underway-at-cambodias-ream-naval-base/

Difficult to know how "nothing chinese was found" as it's a Chinese company doing the dredging (China Metallurgical), openly paid for by China, as clearly stated by the Cambodian Navy.

... and it's 'Ream', not 'REAM'. It's a place name, not an acronym / abbreviation.

[JohninDublin]

4 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

Well they have not been known to be halo like people and so picking on US expats might be fun for them to extract money. I once had a not so fun attitude at their airport in Phnom Penh once upon a time. Even a Thai protestor was abducted there and never to be seen again, and his opponents either dissappear or get jailed.. 

My own (un)forgettable experience of PP airport, was being extorted to pay the Visa fee ($25) twice. This was in the days before E-visas.

I had already read about this scam but there was really nothing you could do about. You would hand over the money, and then they would say, "$25 please". If you said you'd already paid, they would deny it. Next you ask to speak to a supervisor, and they tell you to sit down, while they wait for him to return. So you take seat in a large hall where there are no vending machines, and you wait, and wait and wait.

Eventually, you realise that every time you look at the desk full of immigration officers, they are all smiling at your stupidity, and one of them is almost certainly the supervisor. I have heard of people sitting there for up to 4 hours before the "penny dropped".

There were quite a few complaints to the Cam gov. Their response was to deny that extortion was taking place, and claiming that it was the public giving tips for "good service". I think in most countries, attempting to "tip" immigration officers would lead to speedy visit to the cells. However, this led to the introduction of E-visas by Cam. In addition, there are now signs in arrivals hall at PP stating, "Pay no money here". If you don't have an E-visa, you still go to the same desk, but now it is covered by CCTV. Not sure whether it is for your protection, or to make sure that the "higher-ups" get their cut.

In my case I immediately paid the $25 again. I had already been victimised and to do anything else was to become a self-victimiser.

[longwood50]

18 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Latest and most expensive weapons?

Absolute nonsense.

 

Now I guess 83 Billion is not much to you.  Now mind you this was the total amount of military equipment the Afghans Security Force had that was lost after the Taliban took over.  It says nothing about what U.S. forces left behind also. 

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/planes-guns-night-vision-goggles-talibans-new-us-made-war-chest-2021-08-19/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamandrzejewski/2021/08/23/staggering-costs--us-military-equipment-left-behind-in-afghanistan/?sh=5ab5ff5c41db

 

 

 

Another official said that while there are no definitive numbers yet, the current intelligence assessment was that the Taliban are believed to control more than 2,000 armored vehicles, including U.S. Humvees, and up to 40 aircraft potentially including UH-60 Black Hawks, scout attack helicopters, and ScanEagle military drones.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by longwood50