• Politics

Cambodia to Send 40 Prison Officials for UN​ Missions

• By Meng Seavmey
• February 8, 2023 6:56 PM

PHNOM PENH – Forty Cambodian prison officials will be sent on 12-month UN peacekeeping missions to international areas of conflict.

The announcement was made at a meeting on Feb. 8 between the National Centre for Peacekeeping Force, Mine, and ERW Clearance (NPMEC) and the General Commissariat of National Police. No start date was released.

Interior Ministry Prisons Department spokesman Nuth Savana said the prison officials had been selected and their names would be sent to the UN.

“After 12 months, they may stay there for another six or 12 months, depending on whether they are needed,” Savana added.

The need for prison officials exists in areas of armed conflicts because there are prisoners of war or other prisoners. Prison officials from UN member countries are needed to help the country at war.

The agreement to send prison officials is in line with an initiative in 2018 in Singapore when senior UN officials agreed to send police forces to missions in addition to soldiers.

Until now, Cambodia has sent only soldiers on UN missions due to a lack to available police and prison officers, a lack of requests and officers’ unwillingness to go.

The first time Cambodia got a request, it lacked detailed information and was not in line with administrative procedures, Savana said.

“So, it was hard for us to prepare. Besides, there were not many officials interested in the project,” he added. 

There was a request in 2018, but the requirements were high. Besides, few officials were interested. Cambodia got another request the following year, for only four people but with the same high requirements.

Unfortunately, there had been an incident in South Sudan in which Cambodian blue helmets were killed.

“The other people were too scared by the news and did not want to apply for the mission,” Savana said.

It was the opposite this year, as they had become more excited to apply, which made the selection process competitive.

Currently, the UN is deploying more than 9,000 police from over 90 countries on peacekeeping missions. UN police mostly support the host country police.