Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Banh takes aim at sanctions

Banh takes aim at sanctions

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Minister of National Defence Tea Banh on Monday criticised sanctions imposed on Cambodia by ‘superpowers and organisations’ as unjust and as a political trend against the Kingdom. FACEBOOK

Banh takes aim at sanctions

Minister of National Defence Tea Banh on Monday criticised sanctions imposed on Cambodia by “superpowers and organisations” as unjust and as a political trend against the Kingdom.

Tea Banh’s criticisms came on Monday during the closing ceremony for training on surveying for UN-peacekeeping operations to enhance topographical skills at the Council of Ministers. Japanese Ministry of Defence director-general Yasunori Nishida was in attendance.

Recently the US House approved a bill called the “HR 526 Cambodia Democracy Act”, which aims to “promote free and fair elections, political freedom and human rights in Cambodia”.

Banh expressed regret that the “superpowers and organisations” do not support Cambodia’s development, but rather find ways to impose sanction through “baseless and false” allegations.

Cambodia is fulfilling all of its responsibilities, including dispatching UN peacekeeping forces, implementing democracy, respecting human rights and holding regular elections, said Banh

He said imposing sanctions will hinder the government’s efforts to develop the Kingdom.

“They do not acknowledge Cambodia’s efforts that have been made so far, but instead use their rights and power to find ways to impose sanctions like this or like that.

“They prevent that which can boost Cambodia’s growth. [The sanctions] seem to be based on their sentiments or whatever they want to do.”

Banh said the government is highly committed to preventing interference with internal affairs, provocation or racial discrimination which could lead to violence or a division of national solidarity under the banner of democracy and human rights to serve the interests of a handful of people, political individuals or foreigners who want to change the legitimate government.

“Some countries have vast resources and budgets but they do not use them to help countries which face difficulties.

“Instead they use it to hinder them, impose sanctions, blame and find a pretext to claim that there is no respect for human rights, to kill democracy and to affect the development of poor countries.”

Kin Phea, the director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said that the “superpowers and organisations” joining hands is a political agenda to take advantage of their positions.

“We have been aware from the beginning that superpowers and organisations are always finding strategies to prevent Cambodia’s growth and achieve their political agenda,” he said.

Political analyst Lao Mong Hay said the countries Banh has accused of barring Cambodia’s progress have contributed substantially to it since the signing of the Paris Peace Agreements in 1991.

There is no reason to believe that they would set out to hamper the Kingdom’s progress, he said.

“They are simply requesting Cambodia to restore democracy, to respect human rights and to be governed by the rule of law of a free society, all of which the minister himself, together with the country’s top leaders have pledged to do under the Paris Peace Agreements and the country’s constitution, which all of them have themselves signed and adopted,” he said.

US Embassy to Cambodia spokesperson Emily Zeeberg declined to comment on Banh’s remark.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Rare plant fetches high prices from Thai, Chinese

    Many types of plants found in Cambodia are used as traditional herbs to treat various diseases, such as giloy or guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) or aromatic/sand ginger (Kaempferia galangal) or rough cocklebur (Xanthium Strumartium). There is also a plant called coral, which is rarely grown

  • Cambodia returns 15M Covid jabs to China

    Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia will return 15 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to China for donation to other countries. The vaccines in question were ordered but had not yet arrived in Cambodia. While presiding over the Ministry of Health’s annual meeting held on

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide