US Ambassador Seeks to Clarify Need for Debt Repayment
The U.S. ambassador to Cambodia has sought to clear up supposed misinformation about Cambodia’s debt to the U.S., which was racked up during the early 1970s by the U.S.-backed military government of Lon Nol and has become a contentious issue between the country. Cambodia has refused to pay back the money accrued during the short-lived 1970 to 1975 Khmer Republic, when military ruler Lon Nol was in power in Phnom Penh. The debt amounted to some $445 million, including accrued interest, by 2009, according to the U.S. State Department. …
