A PROPOSAL to remove another 20 senior military commanders from all areas of the army is under consideration by the minister of defence, a top official said. 

"[Commander-in-Chief] Pol Saroeun has requested that dozens of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces [RCAF] commanders be removed and promoted. The proposal has been received by Defence Minister Tea Banh," a senior official at the Defence Ministry who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media told the Post Sunday.

"The list is being examined by Tea Banh but has not yet been approved," he said, adding that the reshuffle would affect the infantry divisions, the navy, RCAF command headquarters and the Ministry of Defence itself.

In a sweeping reshuffle of the Kingdom's military leadership, Ke Kim Yan was removed from his post last week and his former deputy, General Pol Saroeun, was appointed the new commander-in-chief. Seven officers were bumped up to the post of deputy commander-in-chief, including four-star General Kun Kim and General Meas Sophea, in a move observers said was politically motivated.  

New RCAF Commander-in-Chief Pol Saroeun insisted that the new list was not a political shake-up.

"It is not a reshuffle. It is not this at all," he told the Post Sunday.

According to Bun Seng, commander of Military Region 5, which covers Pursat, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Pailin provinces, it is up to the Kingdom's military leaders whether to shake up the army or not.

"The region is not affected by this. Any reshuffle is just for top leaders," he said.