Phnom Penh police chief seeks Vietnamese help to train special forces

By Phan Anh May 23, 2019 | 08:11 pm PT

Cambodia's armed forces display anti-riot gear and assault rifles at the Olympic stadium ahead of a general election this weekend, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 25, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Samrang Pring.

The Phnom Penh police want Vietnam to train its new special intervention unit as the Cambodian capital prepares to host several major meetings.

The Phnom Penh Post reported Thursday that the city police chief and deputy national police chief, Sar Thet, had made the request to a Vietnamese delegation visiting the city police headquarters.

He said: "During major national and international meetings we can prove that our country has first-rate security forces. We have a police special forces team but this was disbanded due to a lack of the required skill level.

"The new elite unit is being prepared and we are looking to have them fully trained."

The Vietnamese delegation said his request would be forwarded to the senior leadership.

Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia said the special intervention unit is tasked with protecting senior leaders, foreign delegations and the public.

Vietnam and its Indochina neighbor Cambodia often join to bust border crimes such as drug smuggling and human trafficking. Vietnam helped Cambodia expel the murderous Khmer Rouge regime 40 years ago.