Cambodia confirms US-funded defence facility has been razedDeputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh. (Bangkok Post file photo)PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has razed a US-funded defence facility on its southern coast, Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh confirmed Sunday, the latest move in the ongoing controversial expansion of a strategically crucial naval base being developed with Chinese aid. The Wall Street Journal reported last year on a secret draft deal allowing China to dock warships at the Ream naval base near the kingdom's coastal city of Sihanoukville. Satellite images released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies this week showed a US-funded facility on Ream's naval base had been demolished, raising questions "about rumoured Chinese access", said the Washington-based think tank. But Gen Tea Banh, who is also the defence minister, dismissed concerns Sunday.

Source: Bangkok Post October 04, 2020 09:01 UTC