Table of Contents
CAMBODIA
- Cambodia is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia.
- It is 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 square miles) in area, bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.
CAMBODIA
- The sovereign state of Cambodia has a population of over 16 million.
- The official religion is Theravada Buddhism, practised by approximately 95 percent of the population.
- Cambodia gained independence in 1953.
- This month the U.S. Defense Department suggested China may be attempting to gain a military foothold in Cambodia
- In a statement, the State Department urged Cambodia to reject such an arrangement, saying the nation had a “constitutional commitment to its people to pursue an independent foreign policy”.
- It added, “We are concerned that any steps by the Cambodian government to invite a foreign military presence in Cambodia would threaten the coherence and centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in coordinating regional developments, and disturb peace and stability in Southeast Asia.
” WORRYING SIGNS
- Another recently reported project of concern in Cambodia is the Dara Sakor Seashore Resort Long Term Project, located in Koh Kong Province just north of the Ream Naval Base.
- In early July, an Indian military officer analyzed the satellite imagery of the ongoing infrastructure project in Koh Kong and confidently indicated that the site was being prepared as another potential naval base for use by the Chinese.
NOTES
- Dara Sakor, a $3.8 billion China-backed investment zone encompassing 20% of Cambodia’s coastline, is unlike any other in the developing Southeast Asian nation. Controlled by a Chinese company with a 99-year lease, it features phased plans for an international airport, a deep-water seaport and industrial park along with a luxury resort complete with power stations, water treatment plants and medical facilities.
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