A major shake-up is in the winds for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces hierarchy including
the replacement of Commander-in-Chief Ke Kim Yan with one of his recently appointed
deputies Kun Kim.
A senior RCAF general said the move would definitely go ahead as would the replacement
of Army chief Meas Sophea by head of intelligence Moel Roep.
However he doubted rumors concerning the replacement of Co-defense minister Tea Banh.
He said there was talk of Tea Banh becoming the Minister of Agriculture but he believed
this was conjecture because the position was due to become available soon.
Another RCAF general said he had heard about the changes at the top but he was unable
to confirm when they would take place.
The moves would cement key Hun Sen loyalists into the top positions within RCAF but
would likely be unpopular among the troops.
One middle ranking officer spoken to by the Post said that Kun Kim had been throwing
money round among the commanders recently in what was perceived to be an attempt
to buy favor among them.
Meanwhile, Meas Sophea is said to have fallen out of favor at a high level of government.
Soldiers under his command believe it has been because of his involvement with illegal
logging and gem mining in the north-west of the country. The continuation of the
trade has allowed soldiers to maintain their income - a move popular with the
soldiers but which has angered the Government which is keen to be seen by donors
as having tackled the problem of illegal logging.
When spoken to by the Post, Meas Sophea said he was still in his job and his future
was "in the hands of high ranking people". A comment he repeated three
times.
He also doubted that Tea Banh would become Minister of Agriculture saying he did
not think the co-defense minister knew a lot about farming.
Meanwhile the swift ascension of Kun Kim is likely to be viewed with suspicion both
inside and outside RCAF. Kim has appeared on the periphery of a number of crucial
moments in recent times including the 1997 grenade attack, the coup and was named
in the diary of murdered actress Piseth Pelica.
Kun Kim is a close ally of Hun Sen. His appointment late last year caused widespread
unhappiness within the army - particularly among the highest levels who were
not consulted about the move.
At the time there was conjecture within RCAF that the move might be a stepping stone
to a more powerful position within the army.
Since taking up the job of deputy commander-in-chief in charge of education and training,
Kun Kim has kept a reasonably low profile though he has aquired a dual reputation.
One commander said of Kim: "He is more generous but also more frightening than
Ke Kim Yan."
Politically the move is good for Hun Sen but is likely to dismay Chea Sim and Sar
Kheng who blocked Kun Kim's bid to become a member of the CPP central committee.
Neither Ke Kim Yan nor Kun Kim could be reached for comment. And it is understood
that Tea Banh is in Australia at the moment as the guest of an oil company based
there.
Meanwhile foreign donors are concerned what effects the changes might have on the
current plans to demobilize a large percentage of the military.
The World Bank is currently formulating a plan which would slash RCAF's ranks by
50,000.
This number includes ghost soldiers, invalids and the elderly.
But while some donors are concerned another suggested that reforms might be accelerated
by the change in leadership.
