US officials get nod to visit Ream

Minister of Defence General Tea Banh has said the government has allowed the United States Embassy’s Defence Attaché officials to visit the Ream Naval Base in an effort to clear the doubt of alleged government plans for hosting Chinese military assets and personnel. The authorisation came after a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman at the Peace Palace during her one-day visit to the Kingdom on Tuesday.

Gen Banh said yesterday that in order to clear doubts from the US, Cambodian authorities have allowed the US officials to visit the Kingdom’s biggest military seaport. He has not yet confirmed the exact time when the visit to check the actual situation at the base, but said it would be soon. Contacted late yesterday, US embassy spokesperson Chad Roedemeier did not say when the Defence Attaché officials will visit the base, but said visits can contribute to “increased transparency”.

“Deputy Secretary Sherman expressed serious concerns about PRC (People’s Republic of China) military activities at Ream Naval Base, which undermine Cambodian sovereignty, threaten regional security, and negatively impact US-Cambodian relations,” he said. “Routine and frequent visits by all foreign military attachés to Ream Naval Base can contribute to increased transparency.”

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