Ream Naval Base
Ream Naval Base | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Cambodia |
Coordinates | 10°30′26″N 103°36′43″E / 10.50722°N 103.61194°E |
Ream Naval Base is a facility operated by the
History
With the concentration on ground fighting during the
Since the ouster of the Khmer Rouge in 1979 and the eventual establishment of the current constitutional monarchy, the government in cooperation with its allies has made the facility a relatively modernized naval base currently commanded by Rear Admiral Ouk Seyha, the deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Navy.[5]
In July 2019, The Wall Street Journal revealed that US officials had seen a secret agreement that allowed the Chinese PLA navy exclusive access to about one-third of the Ream naval base for up to 30 years.[6] It would give Beijing a new southern flank on the South China Sea, and only its second overseas naval foothold after a base in Djibouti. Such hosting of foreign armed forces would be against the Cambodian constitution as well as the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements that ended the Cambodian Civil War.[1][7][8] The existence of the agreement was denied by Cambodian authorities who called it "fake news".[1] But in 2021, the Cambodian defence minister admitted that China was helping build infrastructure at Ream and continued to maintain that there were no strings attached.[9]
China's alleged presence on Ream Naval Base was condemned by
In October 2020, Vice-Admiral Vann Bunlieng said that dredging work was being undertaken around the base, in order to accommodate larger vessels, in a project supported by the Government of China. The expansion is being undertaken by the China Metallurgical Group Corporation.[3] In January 2022, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) reported the presence of Chinese clamshell dredgers near the base.[10] The AMTI has reported China-backed construction activities on the base.[11][10]
See also
References
- ^ ProQuest 2260968000
- ^ Nikkei Asian Review. Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ a b Cambodia Navy - History at GlobalSecurity.org, Accessed 24 Nov 2013
- ^ "Australia continues defence cooperation with Cambodia". Phnom Penh Post. Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Post Media Co Ltd. 26 Jan 2012. Retrieved 24 Nov 2013.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
- ^ Cambodia, China ink secret naval port deal: report, Asia Times, by David Hutt, 22 July 2019
- ^ a b c Rainsy, Sam (10 June 2020). "China Has Designs on Democracy in Southeast Asia". Foreign Affairs. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ Sun Narin (3 June 2021), "Defense Minister Says China Helping with Ream Overhaul, But 'No Strings Attached", VOA News
- ^ a b Dredgers spotted at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, 21 January 2022
- ^ Update: China continues to transform Ream Naval Base, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, 12 August 2021