The November 6 opening ceremony of the course was presided over by NPMEC director-general Sem Sovanny, and attended by UN coordinator in Cambodia Joseph Scheuer and the South Korean army deputy chief of staff Koh Hyeon-seok. NPMEC
Engineers from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) have embarked on a four-week training course at the National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces [NPMEC]. The intense drills, overseen by South Korean military instructors, will focus on the use of heavy machinery to build horizontal construction, typically bridges, roads and airfields.
The Kingdom is hosting the training for the first time, as part of the biennial rotating of UN-selected tripartite training projects.
The November 6 opening ceremony of the course was presided over by NPMEC director-general Sem Sovanny, and attended by UN coordinator in Cambodia Joseph Scheuer and the South Korean army deputy chief of staff Koh Hyeon-seok.
“This marks the first occasion that South Korea’s instructors have worked with the RCAF in this specific field. It will not only contribute to the government’s efforts to develop the Kingdom, but will support the process of restoring peace and security, as the RCAF conducts missions under the UN umbrella,” said Sovanny.
“It’s a matter of pride for Cambodia to be selected by the UN as one of the countries . . . to host the biennial rotation of this training project,” he said.
Koh confirmed that specialised engineering trainers will lead the project.
“The trainees will become proficient in the operation of each piece of equipment. I am confident that this training will strengthen cooperation between Cambodia and South Korea, within the framework of peacekeeping under the UN umbrella,” he said.
Scheuer explained that the course is the first trilateral joint training between Cambodia, South Korea and the UN, and demonstrated the government’s commitment to its partnership to peace with the UN.
The tripartite training project was initiated by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a 2014 peacekeeping summit.
Seun Sam, an international relations researcher at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, believes the course will strengthen the capacity of the RCAF.
He noted that the forces capabilities remain limited, particularly in the use of advanced military technology.
He suggested that the training would also show the international community that Cambodia does not only cooperate militarily with China.
“Cambodia should use this training for practical purposes, to strengthen the capacity of the military in a bid to maintain peace,” he said.
According to NPMEC, since 2006, Cambodia has dispatched a total of 9,207 RCAF personnel on 12 UN peacekeeping missions to 10 countries, including Sudan, Chad, Lebanon, South Sudan, Cyprus, Syria, the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali, Yemen and Congo. They have served as de-miners, airport engineers, staff officers and military observers.
Currently, a total of 848 Cambodian troops, including 144 women, are deployed in five countries: South Sudan, Lebanon, CAR, Mali and Congo.
