Article from Khmer Times
By KHY SOVUTHY
Dated 02 August 2019
More than 70 blue helmets to join mission in South Sudan
Photo: More than 70 blue helmets are set to leave the Kingdom on Monday to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.
General Sem Sovanny, director-general of the National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces, yesterday said at a farewell ceremony in Kampong Speu province that the contingent is made of 73 military police officers from Company 861 based in the province.
“Military police officers, including 11 women, will leave to join a UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan,” he said, noting that all of them had received training to carry out the UN mission’s requirements.
Gen Sovanny noted that the Kingdom had sent thousands of blue helmets for UN missions in eight countries since more than a decade ago.
“Since 2006 until now, 6,278 personnel, including 315 women, were sent to join UN peacekeeping missions in eight countries,” he said.
Gen Sovanny added that Cambodia was ranked 26th out of 122 countries which have contributed the biggest number of personnel to UN peacekeeping missions.
“For the past 13 years, Cambodian peacekeepers have served missions professionally and without blemish, including not being involved in violence or sex crimes,” he noted. “Cambodia continues to prepare blue helmets for demining, engineering, and policing tasks in UN missions.”
Pol Saroeun, senior minister in charge of facilitating blue helmet participation in UN missions, presided over yesterday’s event.
“Together we must protect the peace and stability in the Kingdom forever and not allow any attempts by any groups to destroy it,” he said. “We must also strengthen cooperation in the fight against fake news aimed at creating problems in Cambodia.”
Mr Saroeun noted that the Cambodian government is committed to cooperating with the UN on peacekeeping operations and makes sure that its blue helmets are well trained to carry out their missions.
“I thank all government leaders, civil servants at all ministries and the Royal Cambodian Armed Force for working together to prepare our personnel for UN missions and also the families of blue helmets who have allowed their loved ones to serve overseas,” he added.
