A senior US naval official is visiting Cambodia on a mission to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region under the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” policy. A senior Cambodian analyst has called for the US to go further, by calling on Thailand to respect ceasefire deals and other agreements.
Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, met with Prime Minister Hun Manet on January 26 to discuss Cambodia-US defence relations, ways to strengthen bilateral ties and support for regional stability, according to the US Embassy in Phnom Penh.
“Discussions focused on dialogue, mutual trust and regional stability. The US and Cambodia will work shoulder-to-shoulder to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said the embassy.
Coinciding with Admiral Paparo’s visit, the US warship USS Cincinnati is docked at the Ream Naval Base in Preah Sihanouk province until January 28, as part of a mission to strengthen naval cooperation. The ship is commanded by Commander Andrew J. Recame.
Prior to his arrival in Cambodia, Paparo met with Thai military leaders in Bangkok on January 25. According to the embassy, the meeting served to reaffirm the enduring partnership between the US and Thailand, the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, and joint military exercises.
As the US has been active in helping de-escalate tensions between Thailand and Cambodia since July of last year, the US Navy should also seize this opportunity to contribute to reducing tensions between the two nations by urging Thailand to respect the ceasefire, said Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia at the Royal Academy of Cambodia.
“The US military seems to have shown no reaction regarding Thailand’s aggression against Cambodia. What it could do is request that the Thai side respect the spirit of the ceasefire, specifically the spirit of the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration, which was witnessed by US President Donald Trump, along with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, ASEAN chair at the time,” he noted.
He added that, at this moment, the most important thing is for the US to simply ensure that Thailand respects the law, the ceasefire and the various agreements it has made with Cambodia.
“That would be sufficient,” he said.
