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Small Arms and Insecurity

(i)  Introduction

Since the end of hostilities between the various warring factions in 1998, Cambodia has faced the challenge of dealing with the huge numbers of small arms which remained in society. Since 1998, the government has been actively addressing the widespread and destabilizing proliferation of small arms. This sector does not fall under the NPRS[1]. These actions can be broadly categorised as follows:

To date, the government has made remarkable progress in its campaign to collect and destroy illegal and surplus small arms and light weapons. In particular, communities throughout the country are becoming aware of weapons issues and starting to understand that the related problems of weapons and violence need to be addressed at a local as well as national level.

However, the proliferation, availability and use of small arms continues to have a negative impact on Cambodian society in terms of promulgating a culture of violence and impunity. Continued insecurity is an obstacle to sustainable development, long-term poverty alleviation and overseas investment. Progress has been very positive, but continued concerted action must be maintained in order to ensure Cambodia’s successes are sustainable.

 

(ii)  Key Issues

Arms Law: Sub-decree 38 is insufficiently comprehensive resulting in inadequate jurisdictions to punish weapon-related crimes. The draft arms law is a solution, but continues to await ratification by the National Assembly.

Equitable Legal Enforcement: A culture of impunity for individuals, their families and associates well connected to the government continues to pervade society, with the result that weapon-related crimes committed by this group consistently go unpunished. One major result of this impunity is a lack of trust amongst ordinary citizens in the judicial system and in the commitment of the government to tackling the issue of small arms and violence.

Role of the National Commission for Reform and Management of Weapons and Explosives: The NCRMWEC remains largely inactive, suffering from a lack of resources and mandate.

Management of duty weapons and collected illegal weapons: The lack of safe storage facilities and poor management of both duty weapons and collected illegal weapons continues to challenge the ability of the authorities to prevent leakage of weapons from official stores. Unauthorized lending, sale and theft of weapons from army and police posts remain a concern. Of increasing concern is the presence of large numbers of explosives collected from the population stored in insecure conditions in local police posts.  

Capacity of law enforcement agencies: The lack of transport and communication equipment, professional skills (such as forensic skills), awareness of the role as public servants and insufficient salaries continue to discourage the police from adequately fulfilling their duties. This is compounded by corrupt practices and a weak judiciary which often serves to benefit those who commit crime. Rural police are also powerless to act against powerful groups who act with impunity. There is also a lack of communication between the police and civil institutions.

Capacity of Commune Councils on security issues: Commune Councils were elected for the first time in February 2002. However, to date they lack specific guidelines on activities relating to local security or any formalized relationship with the commune and district level police. This leads to a lack of community participation on matters of local security and general misunderstanding and distrust of the police.

Awareness of security considerations by international organisations: The majority of NGOs and IOs have no commitment to security issues within their programs, which threatens the sustainability of development inputs.

Demobilization and disarmament: The lack of a disarmament element and the suspension of the demobilization process have had a negative impact on efforts to reduce the numbers of weapons in the hands of individuals with past or present links to the military.

Influx of large numbers of handguns especially in urban areas: A primary success of Sub-Decree 38 and consequent raising of public awareness has been a reduction in the numbers of military-style weapons (e.g. AK 47s) in the hands of the civil population. The rise in numbers, availability and use of easily concealed handguns (such as K54s and K59s) especially in urban areas is a matter of serious concern as is the supply source of such weapons.

 

(iii)  Recommendations

Arms law

Equitable legal enforcement

Role of the National Commission for Reform and Management of Weapons and Explosives

Management of duty weapons and collected illegal weapons

Capacity of law enforcement agencies

Capacity of Commune Councils on security issues

Awareness of security considerations by international organisations

Demobilization and disarmament

Influx of large numbers of handguns especially in urban areas

The government should act as strongly as possible to enforce the law on handguns in urban areas, and insist that the police and security forces work to prevent all trade and import in handguns.

Strengthening Efforts for the National Campaign for Weapon Reduction

Great achievement has been noticed through the implementation of the National Campaign in recent years, yet there are still a remaining number of small arms and light weapons circulating, which is a major security concern. The Government should review and refuel the Campaign efforts to reduce the illegal remaining weapons to a minimum.

Establishment of a National Strategic Plan to Address Arms Issues

Since arms issues remain a major threat to Cambodian security and to the development of the country, the Government should work harder and more urgently to put in place a more comprehensive approach to tackle the matter. The ideal solution is to develop a National Strategic Plan, which would mobilize and encourage involvement from all concerned sectors.

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For more information and the issues raised in this paper, please contact:

Working Group on Weapons Reduction, Tel: 023 222462, Email: WGWR@online.com.kh


[1] National Poverty Reduction Strategy