Cambodian PM to appeal U.S. to cancel "dirty debt"

21 Sept, 2010
Source: Xinhua

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that he would appeal to U.S. President Barack Obama during his upcoming visit to New York to cancel more than 300 million U.S. dollars considered as "dirty debt" occurred by the Lon Nol regime in the 1970s.

"I will tell the U.S. that the 1970-75 debt is considered as dirty debt and ask them to cancel it," Hun Sen said on Monday at the inauguration of Preak Phnov Bridge.

Hun Sen said the suggestion would be made when he meets with U. S. President Obama during the ASEAN-U.S. Leaders' Meeting in New York from Sept. 24-26.

The estimated 317 million U.S. dollars were the low-interest loans given to the then Lon Nol regime that came to power in a March 1970 coup backed by Washington. The loan was officially said to develop Cambodia's agriculture, but Hun Sen said it was paid for bombs to "drop on our heads" by U.S. forces in the early 1970s.

Cambodia has asked the United States several times to convert the debt into aid.