The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces yesterday took official receipt of 208 military vehicles, 14 pieces of engineering equipment, and other spare parts donated by South Korea’s defence ministry, gear Cambodia’s defence minister said would help stop ‘colour revolutions’.

The shipment was welcomed at a ceremony at the Techo Hun Sen Military Technical Institute in Kampong Speu province, where it was also announced that a further batch of 135 military vehicles, two speed boats and between 30 and 50 GMC military trucks were on their way from the Korean Peninsula.

Though the gear has been donated, Cambodia footed the $1 million transport costs, The Post reported in February. Speaking at the event, South Korean Deputy Defence Minister Kang Byung-joo praised Cambodia for cooperating with the international community in condemning North Korea’s nuclear and missile technology tests.

“I would like to thank the Kingdom of Cambodia for its support of the Republic of Korea,” he said. Defence Minister Tea Banh thanked South Korea for supporting the Cambodian armed forces, telling reporters after his speech that ‘in principle’ the military would not use the vehicles in a way that was ‘bad for the country’.

“We will use them effectively in order to serve and defend and make our contribution to keeping the public order… not only [to stop] colour revolutions, or any revolutions, but also anything that can bring destruction to the country or create an emergency,” he said.

Quoted by state media, Chao Phirun, the director general of the Defence Ministry’s technical material department, said the donation was the third of its kind, with South Korea gifting 717 vehicles and pieces of equipment since 2010.