PM Mobilises Forces Against Drone Incursions
Commander of the PM’s Bodyguard Unit Hing Bun Heang deployed the forces on the afternoon of June 27 on the orders of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Photo: News Department
- By Phoung Vantha
- June 27, 2023 5:26 PM
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia has sent 500 troops and 200 weapons to Ratanakiri province to shoot down drones flying across the border from an ethnic unrest trouble spot in Vietnam.
Commander of the PM’s Bodyguard Unit Hing Bun Heang deployed the forces on the afternoon of June 27 on the orders of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The order was also issued to Defense Minister Tea Banh and commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Vong Pisen after the unidentified drones flew in to Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri and Kratie provinces.
Hun Sen also told them to find who sent the drones, saying adversaries had sent them to spy on Cambodia at night.
Vietnam had confirmed that the drones did not belong to it and Cambodia had cooperated closely with Vietnam to prevent terrorist groups from fleeing into Cambodian territory, the PM said.
Vietnamese authorities say nine people died when about 40 people attacked police stations in Dal Lak province on June 11 and fighting lasted three days.
The attacks have been blamed on the Montagnards, a group of tribes with historical grievances against the Vietnamese government.
Montagnards fought with the US during the Vietnam War. Many converted to Christianity and complained of persecution and expropriation of land by local officials. In times of trouble, many sought sanctuary in Cambodia.
Fresh News reported this month that Hun Sen had expelled Montagnards who sought refuge in Cambodia after clashes with Vietnamese forces.
The PM told workers he had ordered that rebels who had sought refuge in Cambodia after the attacks should be arrested and sent back to Vietnam immediately.
“They recently committed deadly attacks in Vietnam. Cambodia does not welcome rebel groups,” he said.
“Chaos is happening in Vietnam, but we have to be careful with people coming into our country.”
He warned organizations in Cambodia they would face dissolution if they had contact with the rebel groups.
Vietnamese authorities and Montagnard groups abroad say unrest in the region was not linked to the attacks on the police stations, according to the Catholic news organisation UCA News.
