Heng Swee Keat, Ng Eng Hen meet Cambodian army commander

SINGAPORE - Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen met Lieutenant-General Hun Manet, Commander of the Army of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces on Wednesday (June 12), the second day of Lt-Gen Hun Manet's visit to Singapore.

Mr Heng, who is the acting Prime Minister, said in a Facebook post that he had a fruitful discussion with the Cambodian army commander on topics such as regional economic development, education and infrastructure development.

Mr Heng added: "We both agreed that we cannot take peace and stability for granted, as we focus on growing opportunities for our peoples and the Asean community."

Lt-Gen Hun Manet was then hosted to lunch by Defence Minister Ng.

During the meal, the pair reaffirmed the warm and friendly bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and Cambodia. They also exchanged views on regional and international security issues of mutual interest.

Dr Ng said in a Facebook post: "I thanked him for Cambodia's strong support and presence in multilateral fora hosted by Singapore.

"Singapore's and Cambodia's defence ministries will continue to work closely together to address common security challenges in our region."

Lt-Gen Hun Manet had also called on the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant-General Melvyn Ong, and Chief of Army, Major-General Goh Si Hou, in the morning, after reviewing a guard of honour at the Ministry of Defence. He then visited the commando headquarters at Hendon Camp later in the day.

The Defence Ministry said: "Lt-Gen Hun Manet's visit underscores the warm and friendly bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and Cambodia. Both sides interact regularly through high-level visits and professional interactions between the Singapore Armed Forces and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces."